Which to use
“sai” and “sur” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,708
- “sai” frequency rank
- #7,401
- “sur” frequency rank
- 55109
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sai | sur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sapere | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs suren |
Where the eye mixes sai and sur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. sai (CVV) and sur (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses sai with sur
A purely visual mix-up. sai ([ˈsai̯]) and sur ([zuːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55109, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sai is recorded at frequency rank #47,708, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsai̯]. sur is at rank #7,401, tagged as averb, pronounced [zuːɐ̯].
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 55109, this pair ranks #992,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sai vs sur
Shared letters: s. Private to "sai": ai. Private to "sur": ru.
"sai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "sur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sai" and "sur" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sai" or "sur"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sai" and "sur" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #992,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sai" and "sur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sai vs seg". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #992,392 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.