SektenvsSektionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Sekten” and “Sektion” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,927
“Sekten” frequency rank
#8,782
“Sektion” frequency rank
36709
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sekten Sektion
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Sekte ein Teil eines Ganzen

Where the eye mixes Sekten and Sektion

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Sekten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Sektion's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Sekten
7 ch
Sektion

Look-alike desk: Sekten vs Sektion

A purely visual mix-up. Sekten ([ˈzɛktn̩]) and Sektion ([zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36709, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sekten is recorded at frequency rank #27,927, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɛktn̩]. Sektion is at rank #8,782, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn].

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 36709, this pair ranks #1,608,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Sekten vs Sektion

Shared letters: eknst. Private to "Sekten": -. Private to "Sektion": io.

"Sekten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Sektion" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sekten ← eskten · seketn · sekkten · sektenn · sektne · sektten · setken · sketen
  • Sektion ← esktion · sekiton · sekktion · sektino · sektionn · sektoin · sekttion · setkion

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sekten" and "Sektion" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɛktn̩] versus [zɛkˈt͡si̯oːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sekten" or "Sektion"?
"Sektion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,782 in our German list, against #27,927 for "Sekten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Sekten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Sektion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,608,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Sekten" and "Sektion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sekten vs Stuten". 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 #1,608,680 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list