Which to use
“seien” and “sein” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #782
- “seien” frequency rank
- #63
- “sein” frequency rank
- 845
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seien | sein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sein | Kopula, die dem Subjekt ein logisches Prädikat zuordnet |
Where the eye mixes seien and sein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between seien and sein
A purely visual mix-up. seien ([ˈzaɪ̯ən]) and sein ([zaɪ̯n]) 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 845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seien is recorded at frequency rank #782, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯ən]. sein is at rank #63, tagged as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯n].
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 845, this pair ranks #2,005,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of seien vs sein
Shared letters: eins. Private to "seien": -. Private to "sein": -.
"seien" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "seien" for "sein" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "seien" or "sein" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "seien" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seien" and "sein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seien vs Stilen". 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 #2,005,257 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.