sichernvsSicherungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,856
“sichern” frequency rank
#5,648
“Sicherung” frequency rank
8504
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sichern Sicherung
Definition etwas vor Gefahren oder Zugriff bewahren, etwas sicher machen Bauteil, das bei zu hohen Strömen den Stromkreis unterbricht, um Folgeschäden zu vermeiden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sichern and Sicherung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
sichern
9 ch
Sicherung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sichern is [ˈzɪçɐn] while Sicherung is [ˈzɪçəʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sichern is recorded at frequency rank #2,856, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐn]. Sicherung is at rank #5,648, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɪçəʁʊŋ].

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 8504, this pair ranks #1,984,018 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sichern vs Sicherung

Shared letters: cehinrs. Private to "sichern": -. Private to "Sicherung": gu.

"sichern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Sicherung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sichernischern · scihern · sicchern · sicehrn · sichenr · sichernn · sicherrn · sichhern
  • Sicherungischerung · sciherung · siccherung · sicehrung · sichernug · sicherrung · sicherugn · sicherungg

Frequency comparison

sichern#2,856
Sicherung#5,648

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sichern" and "Sicherung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sichern" is a verb and "Sicherung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sichern" or "Sicherung"?
"sichern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,856 in our German list, against #5,648 for "Sicherung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sichern vs Sicherung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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