Which to use
“sein” is a verb and “seiner” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #63
- “sein” frequency rank
- #142
- “seiner” frequency rank
- 205
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sein | seiner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kopula, die dem Subjekt ein logisches Prädikat zuordnet | Genitiv des Personalpronomens er |
Where the eye mixes sein and seiner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sein vs seiner
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sein is [zaɪ̯n] while seiner is [ˈzaɪ̯nɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “sein” sits inside “seiner”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sein is recorded at frequency rank #63, classified as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯n]. seiner is at rank #142, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯nɐ].
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 205, this pair ranks #2,006,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sein vs seiner
Shared letters: eins. Private to "sein": -. Private to "seiner": r.
"sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "seiner" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sein" and "seiner" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sein" or "seiner"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "seiner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sein" and "seiner" 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
Confusion rank #2,006,150 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.