sammelvssäumenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,606
“sammel” frequency rank
#42,857
“säumen” frequency rank
79463
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sammel säumen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sammeln mit einem Saum versehen

Where the eye mixes sammel and säumen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. sammel (CVCCVC) and säumen (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
sammel
6 ch
säumen

Look-alike desk: sammel vs säumen

A purely visual mix-up. sammel ([ˈzaml̩]) and säumen ([ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sammel is recorded at frequency rank #36,606, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaml̩]. säumen is at rank #42,857, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯mən].

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 79463, this pair ranks #216,041 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sammel vs säumen

Shared letters: ems. Private to "sammel": al. Private to "säumen": nuä.

"sammel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "säumen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sammel ← asmmel · samel · sameml · sammell · smamel · ssammel

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "sammel" for "säumen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaml̩] versus [ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "sammel" vs "säumen" - which ranks higher?
"sammel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,606 in our German list, against #42,857 for "säumen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "sammel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "säumen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #216,041 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sammel" and "säumen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "säumen vs Stuten". 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 #216,041 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