SehnevsSinneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,136
“Sehne” frequency rank
#1,122
“Sinne” frequency rank
23258
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sehne Sinne
Definition Band aus Bindegewebe zwischen Muskeln und Knochen zur wechselseitigen Übertragung der im Bewegungsablauf auftretenden mechanischen Kräfte Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Sinn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Sehne and Sinne apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Sehne
5 ch
Sinne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Sehne ([ˈzeːnə]) and Sinne ([ˈzɪnə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sehne is recorded at frequency rank #22,136, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzeːnə]. Sinne is at rank #1,122, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɪnə].

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 23258, this pair ranks #1,863,637 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Sehne vs Sinne

Shared letters: ens. Private to "Sehne": h. Private to "Sinne": i.

"Sehne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Sinne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sehneeshne · sehhne · senhe · shene · ssehne
  • Sinneisnne · sine · sinen · snine · ssinne

Frequency comparison

Sehne#22,136
Sinne#1,122

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sehne" and "Sinne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzeːnə] versus [ˈzɪnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sehne" or "Sinne"?
"Sinne" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,122 in our German list, against #22,136 for "Sehne". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Sehne vs Sinne

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 “Sehne” 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