SeuchevsSeuchenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,545
“Seuche” frequency rank
#35,445
“Seuchen” frequency rank
51990
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Seuche Seuchen
Definition Infektionskrankheit, die in der Form einer Epidemie oder in der Form einer Pandemie bei Mensch oder Tier auftritt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Seuche

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Seuche and Seuchen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Seuche
7 ch
Seuchen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Seuche ([ˈzɔɪ̯çə]) and Seuchen ([ˈzɔɪ̯çn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Seuche” sits inside “Seuchen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51990, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Seuche is recorded at frequency rank #16,545, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯çə]. Seuchen is at rank #35,445, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯çn̩].

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 51990, this pair ranks #1,114,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Seuche vs Seuchen

Shared letters: cehsu. Private to "Seuche": -. Private to "Seuchen": n.

"Seuche" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "Seuchen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Seucheesuche · secuhe · seucche · seuceh · seuchhe · seuhce · sseuche · sueche
  • Seuchenesuchen · secuhen · seucchen · seucehn · seuchenn · seuchhen · seuchne · seuhcen

Frequency comparison

Seuche#16,545
Seuchen#35,445

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Seuche" and "Seuchen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɔɪ̯çə] versus [ˈzɔɪ̯çn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Seuche" or "Seuchen"?
"Seuche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,545 in our German list, against #35,445 for "Seuchen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Seuche vs Seuchen

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 “Seuche” 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