setztevsseufzteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,434
“setzte” frequency rank
#40,206
“seufzte” frequency rank
41640
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature setzte seufzte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs setzen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs seufzen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
setzte
7 ch
seufzte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. setzte ([ˈzɛt͡stə]) and seufzte ([ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡stə]) 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 41640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

setzte is recorded at frequency rank #1,434, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛt͡stə]. seufzte is at rank #40,206, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡stə].

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 41640, this pair ranks #1,473,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of setzte vs seufzte

Shared letters: estz. Private to "setzte": -. Private to "seufzte": fu.

"setzte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "seufzte" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • setzteestzte · settze · settzte · setzet · setztte · setzzte · seztte · ssetzte
  • seufzteesufzte · sefuzte · seuffzte · seuftze · seufzet · seufztte · seufzzte · seuzfte

Frequency comparison

setzte#1,434
seufzte#40,206

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "setzte" and "seufzte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɛt͡stə] versus [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡stə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "setzte" or "seufzte"?
"setzte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,434 in our German list, against #40,206 for "seufzte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering setzte vs seufzte

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 “setzte” 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