SekundevsStundeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,993
“Sekunde” frequency rank
#724
“Stunde” frequency rank
4717
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sekunde Stunde
Definition sechzigster Teil einer Minute; Grundeinheit der Zeit Zeiteinheit, entspricht dem 24. Teil eines Tages

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Sekunde and Stunde apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Sekunde
6 ch
Stunde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Sekunde ([zeˈkʊndə]) and Stunde ([ˈʃtʊndə]) 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 4717, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sekunde is recorded at frequency rank #3,993, classified as anoun, pronounced [zeˈkʊndə]. Stunde is at rank #724, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʊndə].

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 4717, this pair ranks #1,996,880 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Sekunde vs Stunde

Shared letters: densu. Private to "Sekunde": k. Private to "Stunde": t.

"Sekunde" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "Stunde" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sekundeeskunde · sekkunde · seknude · sekudne · sekundde · sekuned · sekunnde · seuknde
  • Stundesstunde · stnude · sttunde · studne · stundde · stuned · stunnde · sutnde

Frequency comparison

Sekunde#3,993
Stunde#724

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sekunde" and "Stunde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zeˈkʊndə] versus [ˈʃtʊndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sekunde" or "Stunde"?
"Stunde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #724 in our German list, against #3,993 for "Sekunde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Sekunde vs Stunde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Sekunde” 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