SpinnervsSpioneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Spinner” and “Spione” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,097
“Spinner” frequency rank
#24,932
“Spione” frequency rank
34029
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Spinner Spione
Definition Person, die das Spinnen betreibt, in einer Spinnerei arbeitet, Garn herstellt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Spinner
6 ch
Spione

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Spinner ([ˈʃpɪnɐ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34029, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Spinner is recorded at frequency rank #9,097, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɪnɐ]. 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 34029, this pair ranks #1,672,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Spinner vs Spione

Shared letters: einps. Private to "Spinner": r. Private to "Spione": o.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Spinnerpsinner · sipnner · spinenr · spiner · spinnerr · spinnre · spniner · sppinner
  • Spionepsione · sipone · spinoe · spioen · spionne · spoine · sppione · sspione

Frequency comparison

Spinner#9,097
Spione#24,932

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spinner" and "Spione" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃpɪnɐ] versus [ʃpiˈoːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Spinner" or "Spione"?
"Spinner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,097 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 Spinner 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 “Spinner” 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