Which to use
“seel” and “sehn” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,271
- “seel” frequency rank
- #13,016
- “sehn” frequency rank
- 59287
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seel | sehn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs seelen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sehnen |
Where the eye mixes seel and sehn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. seel (CVVC) and sehn (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses seel with sehn
A purely visual mix-up. seel ([zeːl]) and sehn ([zeːn]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seel is recorded at frequency rank #46,271, classified as averb, pronounced [zeːl]. sehn is at rank #13,016, tagged as averb, pronounced [zeːn].
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 59287, this pair ranks #830,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of seel vs sehn
Shared letters: es. Private to "seel": l. Private to "sehn": hn.
"seel" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "sehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "seel" and "sehn" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "seel" vs "sehn" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "seel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sehn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #830,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seel" and "sehn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seel vs seg". 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 #830,152 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.