SachsevssechsteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Sachse is a noun, sechste is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Sachse” is a noun and “sechste” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#30,273
“Sachse” frequency rank
#10,364
“sechste” frequency rank
40637
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sachse sechste
Definition in Sachsen (Deutschland) geborener oder dort auf Dauer lebender Mensch nach dem beziehungsweise der fünften kommend; dem siebten vorausgehend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Sachse and sechste apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Sachse
7 ch
sechste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Sachse is [ˈzaksə] while sechste is [ˈzɛkstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sachse is recorded at frequency rank #30,273, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaksə]. sechste is at rank #10,364, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈzɛkstə].

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 40637, this pair ranks #1,502,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Sachse vs sechste

Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Sachse": a. Private to "sechste": t.

"Sachse" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "sechste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sachseaschse · sacchse · saches · sachhse · sachsse · sacshe · sahcse · scahse
  • sechsteeschste · scehste · secchste · sechhste · sechset · sechsste · sechstte · sechtse

Frequency comparison

Sachse#30,273
sechste#10,364

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sachse" and "sechste" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Sachse" is a noun and "sechste" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Sachse" or "sechste"?
"sechste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,364 in our German list, against #30,273 for "Sachse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Sachse vs sechste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Sachse”; for a num, it's “sechste”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Sachse” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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