Which to use
“sad” is an adverb and “sei” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,689
- “sad” frequency rank
- #185
- “sei” frequency rank
- 23874
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sad | sei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in diesem Augenblick; jetzt, nun | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs sein |
Where the eye mixes sad and sei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between sad and sei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sad is [ˈsad] while sei is [zaɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sad is recorded at frequency rank #23,689, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈsad]. sei is at rank #185, tagged as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯].
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 23874, this pair ranks #1,855,452 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sad vs sei
Shared letters: s. Private to "sad": ad. Private to "sei": ei.
"sad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sad" and "sei" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "sad" or "sei"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,855,452 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sad" and "sei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sad vs seg". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,855,452 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.