sehntvssiehtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,888
“sehnt” frequency rank
#253
“sieht” frequency rank
23141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sehnt sieht
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sehnen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sehnt and sieht apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sehnt
5 ch
sieht

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sehnt ([zeːnt]) and sieht ([ziːt]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sehnt is recorded at frequency rank #22,888, classified as averb, pronounced [zeːnt]. sieht is at rank #253, tagged as averb, pronounced [ziːt].

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 23141, this pair ranks #1,865,261 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sehnt vs sieht

Shared letters: ehst. Private to "sehnt": n. Private to "sieht": i.

"sehnt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "sieht" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sehnteshnt · sehhnt · sehnnt · sehntt · sehtn · senht · shent · ssehnt
  • siehtiseht · seiht · siehht · siehtt · sieth · sihet · ssieht

Frequency comparison

sehnt#22,888
sieht#253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sehnt" and "sieht" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zeːnt] versus [ziːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sehnt" or "sieht"?
"sieht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #253 in our German list, against #22,888 for "sehnt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sehnt vs sieht

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 “sehnt” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list