säuftvsseufztWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,266
“säuft” frequency rank
#33,292
“seufzt” frequency rank
77558
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature säuft seufzt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs saufen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs seufzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set säuft and seufzt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
säuft
6 ch
seufzt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. säuft ([ˈzɔɪ̯ft]) and seufzt ([zɔɪ̯ft͡st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77558, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

säuft is recorded at frequency rank #44,266, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯ft]. seufzt is at rank #33,292, tagged as averb, pronounced [zɔɪ̯ft͡st].

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 77558, this pair ranks #258,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of säuft vs seufzt

Shared letters: fstu. Private to "säuft": ä. Private to "seufzt": ez.

"säuft" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "seufzt" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • seufztesufzt · sefuzt · seuffzt · seuftz · seufztt · seufzzt · seuzft · sseufzt

Frequency comparison

säuft#44,266
seufzt#33,292

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "säuft" and "seufzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɔɪ̯ft] versus [zɔɪ̯ft͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "säuft" or "seufzt"?
"seufzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,292 in our German list, against #44,266 for "säuft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering säuft vs seufzt

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 “säuft” 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