Which to use
“spies” and “stieg” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,504
- “spies” frequency rank
- #2,920
- “stieg” frequency rank
- 46424
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spies | stieg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs speisen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs steigen |
Where the eye mixes spies and stieg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between spies and stieg
A purely visual mix-up. spies ([ʃpiːs]) and stieg ([ʃtiːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spies is recorded at frequency rank #43,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃpiːs]. stieg is at rank #2,920, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtiːk].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 46424, this pair ranks #1,319,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of spies vs stieg
Shared letters: eis. Private to "spies": p. Private to "stieg": gt.
"spies" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "stieg" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "spies" for "stieg" ever safe?
Frequency check: "spies" vs "stieg" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "spies" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stieg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,319,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spies" and "stieg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Skier vs spies". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,319,561 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.