# spec vs spy

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### spec
*noun · IPA /ˈspɛk/ · frequency rank #13,245*
Clipping of specification.

### spy
*noun · IPA /spaɪ/ · frequency rank #4,799*
A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spec-vs-spy