Which to use
“sick” and “sies” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,489
- “sick” frequency rank
- #40,209
- “sies” frequency rank
- 67698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sick | sies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sicken | archaisch: 2. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präsens Aktiv des Verbs esse |
Letter map: sick vs sies
Shared letters muted; letters that set sick and sies apart highlighted. Shared run: 2. sick (CVCC) and sies (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Pair insight - sick / sies
sick and sies are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sick is recorded at frequency rank #27,489, classified as averb, pronounced [zɪk]. sies is at rank #40,209, tagged as averb, pronounced […].
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 67698, this pair ranks #531,639 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sick vs sies
Shared letters: is. Private to "sick": ck. Private to "sies": e.
"sick" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "sies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sick" for "sies" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sick" or "sies"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "sick" and "sies".
- Full dictionary entry for "sick" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #531,639 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sick" and "sies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "puzzles vs sies". 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 #531,639 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.