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 eye mixes singen and Single
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. singen (CVCCVC) and Single (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between singen and Single
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: singen is [ˈzɪŋən] while Single is [ˈsɪŋl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of singen vs Single
Shared letters: egins. Private to "singen": -. Private to "Single": l.
"singen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Single" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "singen" for "Single" ever safe?
Which is more common, "singen" or "Single"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "singen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Single" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,134 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "singen" and "Single" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "singen vs Stegen". 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 #1,997,134 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.