SohnsvsSühneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Sohns” and “Sühne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,630
“Sohns” frequency rank
#41,488
“Sühne” frequency rank
78118
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Sohns Sühne
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Sohn eine Wiedergutmachung, eine Genugtuung, eine Leistung für ein begangenes Unrecht oder ein Verschulden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Sohns and Sühne apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Sohns
5 ch
Sühne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Sohns ([zoːns]) and Sühne ([ˈzyːnə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78118, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Sohns is recorded at frequency rank #36,630, classified as anoun, pronounced [zoːns]. Sühne is at rank #41,488, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzyːnə].

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 78118, this pair ranks #245,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Sohns vs Sühne

Shared letters: hns. Private to "Sohns": o. Private to "Sühne": .

"Sohns" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Sühne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Sohnsoshns · shons · sohhns · sohnns · sohnss · sohsn · sonhs · ssohns

Frequency comparison

Sohns#36,630
Sühne#41,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Sohns" and "Sühne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zoːns] versus [ˈzyːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Sohns" or "Sühne"?
"Sohns" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,630 in our German list, against #41,488 for "Sühne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Sohns vs Sühne

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Sohns” 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