Which to use
“Spionage” and “Spione” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,486
- “Spionage” frequency rank
- #24,932
- “Spione” frequency rank
- 38418
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spionage | Spione |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Beschaffung von geheimen Informationen von fremdem Organisationen, Staaten oder dergleichen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion |
Where the eye mixes Spionage and Spione
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Spionage runs 8 letters (CCVVCVCV) against Spione's 6 (CCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Spionage vs Spione
A purely visual mix-up. Spionage ([ʃpioˈnaːʒə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spionage is recorded at frequency rank #13,486, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpioˈnaːʒə]. 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 38418, this pair ranks #1,564,493 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Spionage vs Spione
Shared letters: einops. Private to "Spionage": ag. Private to "Spione": -.
"Spionage" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCV · "Spione" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spionage" for "Spione" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Spionage" vs "Spione" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spionage" 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 #1,564,493 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spionage" 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 #1,564,493 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.