samplesvssetWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: samples is a noun, set is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“samples” is a noun and “set” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,107
“samples” frequency rank
#3,995
“set” frequency rank
46102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature samples set
Definition Plural des Substantivs sample Kardinalzahl zwischen sechs und acht

Letter map: samples vs set

Shared letters muted; letters that set samples and set apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

7 ch
samples
3 ch
set

Part-of-speech tell for samples / set

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: samples is anoun and setanum. On the page they differ by 4 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

samples is recorded at frequency rank #42,107, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. set is at rank #3,995, tagged as anum, pronounced […].

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 46102, this pair ranks #1,330,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of samples vs set

Shared letters: es. Private to "samples": almp. Private to "set": t.

"samples" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "set" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • samplesasmples · samlpes · sammples · sampels · sampless · samplles · samplse · sampples

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "samples" and "set" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "samples" is a noun and "set" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "samples" or "set"?
"set" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,995 in our German list, against #42,107 for "samples". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

You've compared "samples" and "set". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "samples" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "set" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,330,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "samples" and "set" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "puzzles vs samples". 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 #1,330,573 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