Which to use
“sell” is a noun and “still” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,387
- “sell” frequency rank
- #2,993
- “still” frequency rank
- 31380
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sell | still |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Transaktion Ware gegen Geld: Verkauf | im Zustand der Bewegungslosigkeit, der Unbewegtheit und der Ruhe |
Where the eye mixes sell and still
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sell and still
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sell is [sɛl] while still is [ʃtɪl]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31380, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sell is recorded at frequency rank #28,387, classified as anoun, pronounced [sɛl]. still is at rank #2,993, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃtɪl].
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 31380, this pair ranks #1,729,310 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sell vs still
Shared letters: ls. Private to "sell": e. Private to "still": it.
"sell" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "still" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sell" for "still" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sell" vs "still" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sell" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "still" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,729,310 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sell" and "still" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs sell". 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 #1,729,310 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.