Which to use
“Spinne” and “Spione” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,945
- “Spinne” frequency rank
- #24,932
- “Spione” frequency rank
- 38877
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spinne | Spione |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kleines achtbeiniges Tier, das häufig Fäden spinnt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion |
Where the eye mixes Spinne and Spione
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Spinne (CCVCCV) and Spione (CCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Spinne with Spione
A purely visual mix-up. Spinne ([ˈʃpɪnə]) and Spione ([ʃpiˈoːnə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “Spinne” becomes o in “Spione”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38877, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spinne is recorded at frequency rank #13,945, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɪnə]. Spione is at rank #24,932, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈoːnə].
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 38877, this pair ranks #1,552,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Spinne vs Spione
Shared letters: einps. Private to "Spinne": -. Private to "Spione": o.
"Spinne" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "Spione" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spinne" for "Spione" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Spinne" or "Spione"?
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 "Spinne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spione" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,552,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spinne" and "Spione" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spione vs spröde". 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 #1,552,257 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.