säenvsSamWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: säen is a verb, Sam is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“säen” is a verb and “Sam” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,300
“säen” frequency rank
#5,019
“Sam” frequency rank
37319
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature säen Sam
Definition ausstreuend oder setzend Saatgut in den dafür vorbereiteten Boden bringen männlicher Vorname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set säen and Sam apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
säen
3 ch
Sam

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: säen is [ˈzɛːən] while Sam is [sɛm]. 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 (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

säen is recorded at frequency rank #32,300, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛːən]. Sam is at rank #5,019, tagged as aname, pronounced [sɛm].

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 37319, this pair ranks #1,593,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of säen vs Sam

Shared letters: s. Private to "säen": enä. Private to "Sam": am.

"säen" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Sam" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

säen#32,300
Sam#5,019

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "säen" and "Sam" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "säen" is a verb and "Sam" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "säen" or "Sam"?
"Sam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,019 in our German list, against #32,300 for "säen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering säen vs Sam

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “säen”; for a name, it's “Sam”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “säen” 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