Which to use
“self” is a noun and “setz” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,966
- “self” frequency rank
- #11,519
- “setz” frequency rank
- 23485
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | self | setz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Selbst; das Ich | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs setzen |
Where the eye mixes self and setz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses self with setz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: self is [self] while setz is [zɛt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23485, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
self is recorded at frequency rank #11,966, classified as anoun, pronounced [self]. setz is at rank #11,519, tagged as averb, pronounced [zɛt͡s].
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 23485, this pair ranks #1,860,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of self vs setz
Shared letters: es. Private to "self": fl. Private to "setz": tz.
"self" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "setz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "self" for "setz" ever safe?
Which is more common, "self" or "setz"?
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 "self" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "setz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,860,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "self" and "setz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs self". 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 #1,860,700 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.