Which to use
“singen” is a verb and “Single” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,319
- “singen” frequency rank
- #2,320
- “Single” frequency rank
- 4639
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | singen | Single |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Lied (oder eine Melodie) mit der eigenen Stimme hervorbringen | Mensch, der ohne feste Beziehung zu einer anderen Person und ohne minderjähriges Kind im Haushalt lebt; jemand, der alleinstehend ist |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set singen and Single apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
singen and Single form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4639, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
singen is recorded at frequency rank #2,319, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪŋən]. Single is at rank #2,320, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsɪŋl̩].
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 4639, this pair ranks #1,997,134 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "singen" and "Single" be used interchangeably?
Remembering singen vs Single
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “singen”; for a noun, it's “Single”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “singen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable