sensvsSohnsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,806
“sens” frequency rank
#36,630
“Sohns” frequency rank
79436
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sens Sohns
Definition Bedeutung; Sinn Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Sohn

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
sens
5 ch
Sohns

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sens ([sɑ̃s]) and Sohns ([zoːns]) 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 79436, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sens is recorded at frequency rank #42,806, classified as anoun, pronounced [sɑ̃s]. Sohns is at rank #36,630, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zoːns].

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 79436, this pair ranks #216,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sens vs Sohns

Shared letters: ns. Private to "sens": e. Private to "Sohns": ho.

"sens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Sohns" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sensesns · senns · senss · sesn · snes · ssens
  • Sohnsoshns · shons · sohhns · sohnns · sohnss · sohsn · sonhs · ssohns

Frequency comparison

sens#42,806
Sohns#36,630

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sens" and "Sohns" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([sɑ̃s] versus [zoːns]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sens" or "Sohns"?
"Sohns" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,630 in our German list, against #42,806 for "sens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sens vs Sohns

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 “sens” 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