spinnenvsSpioneWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: spinnen is a verb, Spione is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“spinnen” is a verb and “Spione” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,368
“spinnen” frequency rank
#24,932
“Spione” frequency rank
35300
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature spinnen Spione
Definition einen Faden herstellen, Erstellung von Garn aus einzelnen Fasern Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
spinnen
6 ch
Spione

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spinnen is [ˈʃpɪnən] while Spione is [ʃpiˈoːnə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

spinnen is recorded at frequency rank #10,368, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpɪnən]. 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 35300, this pair ranks #1,643,255 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of spinnen vs Spione

Shared letters: einps. Private to "spinnen": -. Private to "Spione": o.

"spinnen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Spione" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • spinnenpsinnen · sipnnen · spinen · spinenn · spinnenn · spinnne · spninen · sppinnen
  • Spionepsione · sipone · spinoe · spioen · spionne · spoine · sppione · sspione

Frequency comparison

spinnen#10,368
Spione#24,932

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "spinnen" and "Spione" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "spinnen" is a verb and "Spione" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "spinnen" or "Spione"?
"spinnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,368 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 spinnen vs Spione

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “spinnen”; for a noun, it's “Spione”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spinnen” 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