seufzenvsSeufzerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: seufzen is a verb, Seufzer is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“seufzen” is a verb and “Seufzer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#37,776
“seufzen” frequency rank
#42,809
“Seufzer” frequency rank
80585
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seufzen Seufzer
Definition hörbar und heftig ein- und ausatmen, als Zeichen starker Gefühle wie Kummer, Erleichterung oder Resignation mit hörbarem Atem begleitete verhaltene Äußerung des Missfallens oder der Zustimmung

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
seufzen
7 ch
Seufzer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: seufzen is [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡sn̩] while Seufzer is [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡sɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “seufzen” becomes r in “Seufzer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

seufzen is recorded at frequency rank #37,776, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡sn̩]. Seufzer is at rank #42,809, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɔɪ̯ft͡sɐ].

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 80585, this pair ranks #192,665 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of seufzen vs Seufzer

Shared letters: efsuz. Private to "seufzen": n. Private to "Seufzer": r.

"seufzen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "Seufzer" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • seufzenesufzen · sefuzen · seufezn · seuffzen · seufzenn · seufzne · seufzzen · seuzfen
  • Seufzeresufzer · sefuzer · seufezr · seuffzer · seufzerr · seufzre · seufzzer · seuzfer

Frequency comparison

seufzen#37,776
Seufzer#42,809

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seufzen" and "Seufzer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "seufzen" is a verb and "Seufzer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "seufzen" or "Seufzer"?
"seufzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,776 in our German list, against #42,809 for "Seufzer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering seufzen vs Seufzer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “seufzen”; for a noun, it's “Seufzer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “seufzen” 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