Which to use
“say” and “says” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,786
- “say” frequency rank
- #44,888
- “says” frequency rank
- 57674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | say | says |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sagen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs say |
Where the eye mixes say and says
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses say with says
A purely visual mix-up. say ([seɪ]) and says ([sɛz]) 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 extra letter(s) - “say” sits inside “says”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
say is recorded at frequency rank #12,786, classified as averb, pronounced [seɪ]. says is at rank #44,888, tagged as averb, pronounced [sɛz].
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 57674, this pair ranks #892,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of say vs says
Shared letters: asy. Private to "say": -. Private to "says": -.
"say" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "says" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- says ← asys · sasy · sayss · sayys · ssays · syas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "say" and "says" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "say" or "says" show up more?
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 "say" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "says" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #892,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "say" and "says" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "says vs SUVs". 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 #892,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.