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 eye mixes Spinner and Spione
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Spinner runs 7 letters (CCVCCVC) against Spione's 6 (CCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Spinner and Spione
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spinner" for "Spione" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Spinner" or "Spione"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spinner" 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 #1,672,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spinner" 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 #1,672,588 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.