Deutsch homophones
so/zo
"so" is a conjunction; "zo" is a noun - grammar picks the spelling, not sound. Size rank #38 of 483 German groups.
Data vintage
Grammar picks the spelling
Same sound, different grammar: "so" arrives as a conjunction, while "zo" is a noun. Once the sentence role is fixed, only one spelling fits.
Spelling pairs in this cluster
- No shared spelling stem: "so" is 2 letters, "zo" is 2; only the sound ties them.
Orthographic DNA of this cluster
Shared letters across so, zo: o. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.
so
2 letters · 1 vowels · shape CV
Inventory os · private s
zo
2 letters · 1 vowels · shape CV
Inventory oz · private z
Pick the spelling from the meaning
- Write "so" when you mean: drückt einen Vergleich aus
- Write "zo" when you mean: Teil des Skeletts der Wirbeltiere; Knochen