Which to use
“Spion” and “Spione” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,070
- “Spion” frequency rank
- #24,932
- “Spione” frequency rank
- 43002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spion | Spione |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein heimlicher, unerkannter Beobachter, der die gegnerische Seite auszukunden hat | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion |
Where the eye mixes Spion and Spione
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Spion runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Spione's 6 (CCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Spion with Spione
A purely visual mix-up. Spion ([ʃpiˈoːn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Spion” sits inside “Spione”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spion is recorded at frequency rank #18,070, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈoːn]. 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 43002, this pair ranks #1,431,666 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Spion vs Spione
Shared letters: inops. Private to "Spion": -. Private to "Spione": e.
"Spion" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Spione" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spion" for "Spione" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Spion" vs "Spione" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Spion" and "Spione" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spion" 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 #1,431,666 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spion" 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 #1,431,666 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.