SeilevsSpeiseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,766
“Seile” frequency rank
#24,931
“Speise” frequency rank
46697
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Seile Speise
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Seil Mahlzeit, zubereitetes Gericht

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Seile
6 ch
Speise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Seile ([ˈzaɪ̯lə]) and Speise ([ˈʃpaɪ̯zə]) 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 46697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Seile is recorded at frequency rank #21,766, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯lə]. Speise is at rank #24,931, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpaɪ̯zə].

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 46697, this pair ranks #1,310,161 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Seile vs Speise

Shared letters: eis. Private to "Seile": l. Private to "Speise": p.

"Seile" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Speise" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Seileesile · seiel · seille · selie · siele · sseile
  • Speisepseise · sepise · speies · speisse · spesie · spiese · sppeise · sspeise

Frequency comparison

Seile#21,766
Speise#24,931

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Seile" and "Speise" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaɪ̯lə] versus [ˈʃpaɪ̯zə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Seile" or "Speise"?
"Seile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,766 in our German list, against #24,931 for "Speise". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Seile vs Speise

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 “Seile” 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