Which to use
“sehe” and “sei” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #573
- “sehe” frequency rank
- #185
- “sei” frequency rank
- 758
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sehe | sei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sehen | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs sein |
Where the eye mixes sehe and sei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sehe vs sei
A purely visual mix-up. sehe ([ˈzeːə]) and sei ([zaɪ̯]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sehe is recorded at frequency rank #573, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzeːə]. sei is at rank #185, tagged as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯].
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 758, this pair ranks #2,005,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sehe vs sei
Shared letters: es. Private to "sehe": h. Private to "sei": i.
"sehe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sehe ← eshe · seeh · sehhe · shee · ssehe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sehe" and "sei" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "sehe" or "sei" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sehe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sehe" and "sei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs sehe". 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 #2,005,387 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.