sectionvsSektionWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#24,121
“section” frequency rank
#8,782
“Sektion” frequency rank
32903
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature section Sektion
Definition Sektion ein Teil eines Ganzen

Where the eye mixes section and Sektion

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
section
7 ch
Sektion

Visual trap between section and Sektion

A purely visual mix-up. section ([sɛk.sjɔ̃]) and Sektion ([zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn]) 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 a single letter - c in “section” becomes k in “Sektion”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32903, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

section is recorded at frequency rank #24,121, classified as anoun, pronounced [sɛk.sjɔ̃]. Sektion is at rank #8,782, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn].

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 32903, this pair ranks #1,697,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of section vs Sektion

Shared letters: einost. Private to "section": c. Private to "Sektion": k.

"section" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "Sektion" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sectionesction · scetion · secction · seciton · sectino · sectionn · sectoin · secttion
  • Sektionesktion · sekiton · sekktion · sektino · sektionn · sektoin · sekttion · setkion

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "section" for "Sektion" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([sɛk.sjɔ̃] versus [zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "section" vs "Sektion" - which ranks higher?
"Sektion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,782 in our German list, against #24,121 for "section". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "section" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Sektion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,697,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "section" and "Sektion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "section vs Selection". 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 #1,697,557 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