SakevsSalzConfusable pair

Which to use

“Sake” and “Salz” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#47,710
“Sake” frequency rank
#3,768
“Salz” frequency rank
51478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sake Salz
Definition japanisches alkoholisches Getränk, das aus mit Hefe vergorenem Reis hergestellt wird und heiß getrunken wird Natriumchlorid, Kochsalz

Where the eye mixes Sake and Salz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Sake
4 ch
Salz

Why the eye confuses Sake with Salz

A purely visual mix-up. Sake ([ˈzaːkə]) and Salz ([zalt͡s]) 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 51478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sake is recorded at frequency rank #47,710, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaːkə]. Salz is at rank #3,768, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zalt͡s].

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 51478, this pair ranks #1,134,042 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Sake vs Salz

Shared letters: as. Private to "Sake": ek. Private to "Salz": lz.

"Sake" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Salz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sakeaske · saek · sakke · skae · ssake
  • Salzaslz · sallz · salzz · sazl · slaz · ssalz

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sake" and "Salz" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaːkə] versus [zalt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Sake" vs "Salz" - which ranks higher?
"Salz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,768 in our German list, against #47,710 for "Sake". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Sake" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Salz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,134,042 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Sake" and "Salz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sake vs Sire". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,134,042 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