sähevsSärgeConfusable pair

Quick tell: sähe is a verb, Särge is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sähe” is a verb and “Särge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,704
“sähe” frequency rank
#42,170
“Särge” frequency rank
55874
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sähe Särge
Definition 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sehen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Sarg

Where the eye mixes sähe and Särge

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

4 ch
sähe
5 ch
Särge

Why the eye confuses sähe with Särge

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sähe is [ˈzɛːə] while Särge is [ˈzɛʁɡə]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sähe is recorded at frequency rank #13,704, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛːə]. Särge is at rank #42,170, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɛʁɡə].

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 55874, this pair ranks #962,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sähe vs Särge

Shared letters: esä. Private to "sähe": h. Private to "Särge": gr.

"sähe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Särge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "sähe" for "Särge" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sähe" is a verb and "Särge" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "sähe" or "Särge" show up more?
"sähe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,704 in our German list, against #42,170 for "Särge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "sähe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Särge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #962,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sähe" and "Särge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Särge vs Sire". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #962,395 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