Which to use
“sehen” is a verb and “Sehne” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #187
- “sehen” frequency rank
- #22,136
- “Sehne” frequency rank
- 22323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sehen | Sehne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aktiv und passiv wahrnehmen über das Sinnesorgan Auge | Band aus Bindegewebe zwischen Muskeln und Knochen zur wechselseitigen Übertragung der im Bewegungsablauf auftretenden mechanischen Kräfte |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sehen and Sehne apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sehen is [ˈzeːən] while Sehne is [ˈzeːnə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (en ↔ ne) - a transposition the eye reads straight past, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sehen is recorded at frequency rank #187, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzeːən]. Sehne is at rank #22,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzeːnə].
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 22323, this pair ranks #1,875,565 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sehen vs Sehne
Shared letters: ehns. Private to "sehen": -. Private to "Sehne": -.
"sehen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Sehne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sehen" and "Sehne" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sehen" or "Sehne"?
Remembering sehen vs Sehne
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sehen”; for a noun, it's “Sehne”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sehen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable