die Spanne
range / span
The range or distance between two values, points, or points in time.
EXAMPLE
Die Altersspanne der Teilnehmer reichte von 18 bis 65 Jahren.
The age range of the participants went from 18 to 65 years.
die Spanne
range / span / margin
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Meanings
die Spanne
margin
In business, the difference between the purchase price and the selling price of goods; the profit margin.
EXAMPLE
Der Händler arbeitet mit einer sehr geringen Spanne, um konkurrenzfähig zu bleiben.
The retailer works with a very small margin in order to remain competitive.
die Spanne
span
In construction, the distance that a structural element such as a beam or bridge spans without a supporting column.
EXAMPLE
Für eine so große Spanne benötigt man einen Träger aus Stahlbeton.
For such a large span, you need a reinforced-concrete girder.
Usage tips
Word family
'Die Spanne' (range/span) is related to the verb 'spannen' (to stretch or span), which means 'strecken' (to stretch) or 'sich erstrecken' (to extend). A 'Spanne' is therefore literally a distance that is bridged or stretched across.
EXAMPLE
Die Hängematte war zwischen zwei Bäumen gespannt.
The hammock was stretched between two trees.
Context clue: range
When it is about a range between two values, you will often find words like 'Alter' (age), 'Zeit' (time), 'Preise' (prices), or the structure 'von ... bis ...' (from ... to ...) in the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Die Gehaltsspanne für diese Position liegt zwischen 40.000 und 50.000 Euro pro Jahr.
The salary range for this position is between 40,000 and 50,000 euros per year.
Typical combinations
In the meaning of 'Bereich' (range), 'Spanne' is often combined with adjectives such as 'groß' (large), 'klein' (small), 'breit' (wide), or 'eng' (narrow). The formulation 'die Spanne reicht von ... bis ...' (the range extends from ... to ...) is very typical.
EXAMPLE
Die Spanne zwischen dem günstigsten und dem teuersten Modell ist enorm.
The range between the cheapest and the most expensive model is enormous.
Context clue: business
In a business context, you can recognize this meaning from words such as 'Gewinn' (profit), 'Marge' (margin), 'Händler' (retailer/dealer), 'Einkaufspreis' (purchase price), or 'Verkaufspreis' (selling price).
EXAMPLE
Kleine Geschäfte haben oft nicht die gleiche Gewinnspanne wie große Supermarktketten.
Small shops often do not have the same profit margin as large supermarket chains.
Context clue: construction
You can recognize this technical meaning in the context of architecture and construction. Typical words are 'Brücke' (bridge), 'Balken' (beam), 'Träger' (girder/support), or the verb 'überbrücken' (to bridge/span).
EXAMPLE
Die Architekten planten eine Brücke mit einer beeindruckenden Spanne von 200 Metern.
The architects planned a bridge with an impressive span of 200 meters.
Compare with
Spanne vs Bereich
area / field
When referring to values, Bereich here denotes the entire interval of possible results. Spanne, by contrast, denotes the distance between the smallest and largest value. Thus, one gives the boundary values of the Bereich but calculates the Spanne from them.
Spanne
Bei dieser Funktion beträgt die Spanne zwischen dem kleinsten und dem größten Wert sechs.
For this function, the span between the smallest and largest value is six.
Bereich
Bei dieser Funktion ist der Wertebereich das Intervall von zwei bis acht.
For this function, the range of values is the interval from two to eight.
In real life
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