Which to use
“Seele” is a noun and “setze” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,711
- “Seele” frequency rank
- #5,307
- “setze” frequency rank
- 7018
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Seele | setze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | charakteristisches Merkmal lebender Wesen; der unsterbliche Teil der (fühlenden) Lebewesen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs setzen |
Where the eye mixes Seele and setze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Seele with setze
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Seele is [ˈzeːlə] while setze is [ˈzɛt͡sə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7018, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Seele is recorded at frequency rank #1,711, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzeːlə]. setze is at rank #5,307, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛt͡sə].
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 7018, this pair ranks #1,989,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Seele vs setze
Shared letters: es. Private to "Seele": l. Private to "setze": tz.
"Seele" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "setze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Seele" and "setze" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Seele" or "setze"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Seele" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "setze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,989,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Seele" and "setze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Serbe vs setze". 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 #1,989,677 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.