Which to use
“Sesam” and “steam” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,990
- “Sesam” frequency rank
- #9,809
- “steam” frequency rank
- 56799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sesam | steam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pflanze der Art Sesamum indicum, aus der Familie der Sesamgewächse | Dunst, der von einer Flüssigkeit aufsteigt; Dampf |
Where the eye mixes Sesam and steam
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Sesam (CVCVC) and steam (CCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Sesam with steam
A purely visual mix-up. Sesam ([ˈzeːzam]) and steam ([stiːm]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sesam is recorded at frequency rank #46,990, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzeːzam]. steam is at rank #9,809, tagged as anoun, pronounced [stiːm].
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 56799, this pair ranks #926,158 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Sesam vs steam
Shared letters: aems. Private to "Sesam": -. Private to "steam": t.
"Sesam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "steam" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Sesam" for "steam" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Sesam" vs "steam" - which ranks higher?
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 "Sesam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steam" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #926,158 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sesam" and "steam" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sega vs Sesam". 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 #926,158 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.