Which to use
“sein” is a verb and “Spain” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #63
- “sein” frequency rank
- #36,026
- “Spain” frequency rank
- 36089
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sein | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kopula, die dem Subjekt ein logisches Prädikat zuordnet | Land auf der Iberischen Halbinsel in Südwesteuropa; Spanien |
Where the eye mixes sein and Spain
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sein with Spain
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sein is [zaɪ̯n] while Spain is [speɪn]. 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 name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sein is recorded at frequency rank #63, classified as averb, pronounced [zaɪ̯n]. Spain is at rank #36,026, tagged as aname, pronounced [speɪn].
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 36089, this pair ranks #1,624,182 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sein vs Spain
Shared letters: ins. Private to "sein": e. Private to "Spain": ap.
"sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Spain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sein" and "Spain" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "sein" or "Spain" show up more?
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 "Spain" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,624,182 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sein" and "Spain" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Satin vs Spain". 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 #1,624,182 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.