segelnvsSiegelWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: segeln is a verb, Siegel is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“segeln” is a verb and “Siegel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,976
“segeln” frequency rank
#7,395
“Siegel” frequency rank
17371
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature segeln Siegel
Definition schweben, gleiten, fliegen Stempel zum Abdrucken eines Zeichens

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set segeln and Siegel apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
segeln
6 ch
Siegel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: segeln is [ˈzeːɡl̩n] while Siegel is [ˈziːɡl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 5 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

segeln is recorded at frequency rank #9,976, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzeːɡl̩n]. Siegel is at rank #7,395, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈziːɡl̩].

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 17371, this pair ranks #1,927,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of segeln vs Siegel

Shared letters: egls. Private to "segeln": n. Private to "Siegel": i.

"segeln" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Siegel" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • segelnesgeln · seegln · segelln · segelnn · segenl · seggeln · seglen · sgeeln
  • Siegelisegel · seigel · sieegl · siegell · sieggel · siegle · sigeel · ssiegel

Frequency comparison

segeln#9,976
Siegel#7,395

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "segeln" and "Siegel" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "segeln" is a verb and "Siegel" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "segeln" or "Siegel"?
"Siegel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,395 in our German list, against #9,976 for "segeln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering segeln vs Siegel

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “segeln”; for a noun, it's “Siegel”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “segeln” 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