SakevssoleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,710
“Sake” frequency rank
#27,493
“sole” frequency rank
75203
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sake sole
Definition japanisches alkoholisches Getränk, das aus mit Hefe vergorenem Reis hergestellt wird und heiß getrunken wird nächster Stern zur Erde und Zentrum unseres Sonnensystems; Sonne

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Sake and sole apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Sake
4 ch
sole

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Sake ([ˈzaːkə]) and sole ([ˈsole]) 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 75203, 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]. sole is at rank #27,493, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsole].

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 75203, this pair ranks #313,852 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Sake vs sole

Shared letters: es. Private to "Sake": ak. Private to "sole": lo.

"Sake" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "sole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sakeaske · saek · sakke · skae · ssake
  • soleosle · sloe · soel · ssole

Frequency comparison

Sake#47,710
sole#27,493

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sake" and "sole" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaːkə] versus [ˈsole]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sake" or "sole"?
"sole" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,493 in our German list, against #47,710 for "Sake". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Sake vs sole

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Sake” 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