Which to use
“sein” and “sind” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #63
- “sein” frequency rank
- #34
- “sind” frequency rank
- 97
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sein | sind |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kopula, die dem Subjekt ein logisches Prädikat zuordnet | [1] 1. Person Plural Präsens Indikativ des Verbs sein |
Where the eye mixes sein and sind
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sein with sind
A purely visual mix-up. sein ([zaɪ̯n]) and sind ([zɪnt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 97, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sein is recorded at frequency rank #63, classified as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯n]. sind is at rank #34, tagged as averb, pronounced [zɪnt].
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 97, this pair ranks #2,006,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sein vs sind
Shared letters: ins. Private to "sein": e. Private to "sind": d.
"sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "sind" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sein" and "sind" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sein" vs "sind" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "sind" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sein" and "sind" 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 #2,006,274 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.