Which to use
“Spion” and “spot” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,070
- “Spion” frequency rank
- #9,457
- “spot” frequency rank
- 27527
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spion | spot |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein heimlicher, unerkannter Beobachter, der die gegnerische Seite auszukunden hat | ein kleiner runder Fleck, der sich in Farbe oder Beschaffenheit von der Umgebung absetzt |
Where the eye mixes Spion and spot
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Spion vs spot
A purely visual mix-up. Spion ([ʃpiˈoːn]) and spot ([spɒt]) 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 27527, 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]. spot is at rank #9,457, tagged as anoun, pronounced [spɒt].
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 27527, this pair ranks #1,800,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Spion vs spot
Shared letters: ops. Private to "Spion": in. Private to "spot": t.
"Spion" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "spot" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Spion" and "spot" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Spion" or "spot"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spot" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,800,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spion" and "spot" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "spies vs Spion". 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 #1,800,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.