seinsvssisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: seins is a unknown, sis is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“seins” is an unknown and “sis” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,475
“seins” frequency rank
#37,202
“sis” frequency rank
52677
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seins sis
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum bei nicht attributivem Gebrauch des Possessivpronomens sein sechs (6)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set seins and sis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
seins
3 ch
sis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

seins and sis form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

seins is recorded at frequency rank #15,475, classified as anunknown, pronounced [zaɪ̯ns]. sis is at rank #37,202, tagged as anum, pronounced [sis].

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 52677, this pair ranks #1,087,539 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

seins#15,475
sis#37,202

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seins" and "sis" be used interchangeably?
No, "seins" and "sis" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering seins vs sis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “seins”; for a num, it's “sis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “seins” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list