Which to use
“sein” is a verb and “seinem” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #63
- “sein” frequency rank
- #217
- “seinem” frequency rank
- 280
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sein | seinem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kopula, die dem Subjekt ein logisches Prädikat zuordnet | Dativ Singular Maskulinum des Possessivpronomens sein |
Where the eye mixes sein and seinem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sein is [zaɪ̯n] while seinem is [ˈzaɪ̯nəm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “sein” sits inside “seinem”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 280, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sein is recorded at frequency rank #63, classified as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯n]. seinem is at rank #217, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯nəm].
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 280, this pair ranks #2,006,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sein vs seinem
Shared letters: eins. Private to "sein": -. Private to "seinem": m.
"sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "seinem" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sein" and "seinem" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sein" or "seinem"?
What to do next
You've compared "sein" and "seinem". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "sein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "seinem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sein" and "seinem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs sein". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.