SpinnevsSpioneWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Spinne and Spione apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Spinne
6 ch
Spione

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • Spinnepsinne · sipnne · spine · spnine · sppinne · sspinne
  • Spionepsione · sipone · spinoe · spioen · spionne · spoine · sppione · sspione

Frequency comparison

Spinne#13,945
Spione#24,932

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spinne" and "Spione" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃpɪnə] versus [ʃpiˈoːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Spinne" or "Spione"?
"Spinne" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,945 in our German list, against #24,932 for "Spione". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Spinne vs Spione

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Spinne” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list