Which to use
“Spray” is a noun and “Spree” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,518
- “Spray” frequency rank
- #12,175
- “Spree” frequency rank
- 36693
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spray | Spree |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Flüssigkeit, die mit einem Gerät in feinsten Teilchen versprüht, zerstäubt wird | ein Fluss in Deutschland |
Where the eye mixes Spray and Spree
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Spray with Spree
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Spray is [ʃpʁɛɪ̯] while Spree is [ˈʃpʁeː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36693, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spray is recorded at frequency rank #24,518, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpʁɛɪ̯]. Spree is at rank #12,175, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈʃpʁeː].
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 36693, this pair ranks #1,609,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Spray vs Spree
Shared letters: prs. Private to "Spray": ay. Private to "Spree": e.
"Spray" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV · "Spree" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spray" for "Spree" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Spray" or "Spree" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spray" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spree" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,609,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spray" and "Spree" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spray vs Spreu". 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 #1,609,070 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.