Which to use
“seien” is a verb and “Spesen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #782
- “seien” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 36810
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seien | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sein | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes seien and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. seien runs 5 letters (CVVVC) against Spesen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses seien with Spesen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: seien is [ˈzaɪ̯ən] while Spesen is [ˈʃpeːzn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36810, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seien is recorded at frequency rank #782, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯ən]. Spesen is at rank #36,028, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpeːzn̩].
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 36810, this pair ranks #1,606,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of seien vs Spesen
Shared letters: ens. Private to "seien": i. Private to "Spesen": p.
"seien" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "seien" and "Spesen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "seien" vs "Spesen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "seien" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,606,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seien" and "Spesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spesen vs Stelen". 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 #1,606,151 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.