Speer

[ʃpeːɐ̯]

/[ʃpeːɐ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Speer” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #15,217 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,217
frequency rank, German
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Waffe zum Werfen und Stechen, bestehend aus einer Stange mit einer Spitze (meist aus Metall oder Stein) an einem Ende; leichter als die nur zum Stechen bestimmte Lanze

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Speer vs Spur
60% similar
Speer vs Spiel
60% similar
Speer vs super
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Speer
PropertyValue
HeadwordSpeer
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʃpeːɐ̯]
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,217
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Speer” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Speer lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Speer is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃpeːɐ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #15,217 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Speer, with forms such as "pseer", "seper", and "speerr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Spur", "Spiel", "super", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Speer, spelled S-P-E-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Waffe zum Werfen und Stechen, bestehend aus einer Stange mit einer Spitze (meist aus Metall oder Stein) an einem Ende; leichter als die nur zum Stechen bestimmte Lanze
  2. 2
    kurz für die Sportart Speerwurf oder Speerwerfen

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pseer,seper,speerr,sper,sppeer,sspeer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Speer - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

pseer2seper2speerr1sper1sppeer1sspeer1
Edit distance from "Speer"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Speer"?
"Speer" is spelled S-P-E-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃpeːɐ̯].
What does "Speer" mean?
As a noun, "Speer" means: Waffe zum Werfen und Stechen, bestehend aus einer Stange mit einer Spitze (meist aus Metall oder Stein) an einem Ende; leichter als die nur zum Stechen bestimmte Lanze
What words are commonly confused with "Speer"?
"Speer" is commonly confused with "Spur", "Spiel", "super". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Speer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Speer" is [ʃpeːɐ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Speer" come from?
"Speer" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Speer”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-P-E-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃpeːɐ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Spur” - see the side-by-side comparison. Speer vs Spur
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list