seelvssiesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,271
“seel” frequency rank
#40,209
“sies” frequency rank
86480
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seel sies
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs seelen archaisch: 2. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präsens Aktiv des Verbs esse

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set seel and sies apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
seel
4 ch
sies

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

seel and sies are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86480, 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]. sies is at rank #40,209, tagged as averb, 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 86480, this pair ranks #93,190 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of seel vs sies

Shared letters: es. Private to "seel": l. Private to "sies": i.

"seel" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "sies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • seelseell · sseel
  • siesseis · siess · sise · ssies

Frequency comparison

seel#46,271
sies#40,209

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seel" and "sies" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "seel" or "sies"?
"sies" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,209 in our German list, against #46,271 for "seel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering seel vs sies

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 “seel” 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