SachevsSakeConfusable pair

Which to use

“Sache” and “Sake” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#495
“Sache” frequency rank
#47,710
“Sake” frequency rank
48205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sache Sake
Definition einzelner Gegenstand oder eine Gruppe von Dingen, die einer Person oder Angelegenheit zugehörig sind japanisches alkoholisches Getränk, das aus mit Hefe vergorenem Reis hergestellt wird und heiß getrunken wird

Where the eye mixes Sache and Sake

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Sache
4 ch
Sake

Look-alike desk: Sache vs Sake

A purely visual mix-up. Sache ([ˈzaxə]) and Sake ([ˈzaːkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sache is recorded at frequency rank #495, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaxə]. Sake is at rank #47,710, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaːkə].

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 48205, this pair ranks #1,257,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Sache vs Sake

Shared letters: aes. Private to "Sache": ch. Private to "Sake": k.

"Sache" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Sake" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sachesacche · saceh · sachhe · sahce · scahe · ssache
  • Sakeaske · saek · sakke · skae · ssake

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Sache" and "Sake" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaxə] versus [ˈzaːkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sache" or "Sake"?
"Sache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #495 in our German list, against #47,710 for "Sake". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Sache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Sake" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,257,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Sache" and "Sake" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sake vs Sire". 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 #1,257,046 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list