sagen

[ˈzaːɡn̩]

/[ˈzaːɡn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“sagen” has 7 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #193. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#193
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - bestimmte Worte sprechen (mit direkter oder indirekter Rede verwendet)

Corpus desk

Index DE-sagen · sagen · German

sagen · rank #193 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #193
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH ins

Nearest frequency peer: ins (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sagen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sagen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sagen vs sagt
60% similar
sagen vs Sven
40% similar
sagen vs Seen
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sagen
PropertyValue
Headwordsagen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈzaːɡn̩]
Letters5
Frequency rank#193
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sagen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sagen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sagen (IPA [ˈzaːɡn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #193 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sagen, with forms such as "asgen", "saegn", and "sagenn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sagt", "Sven", "Seen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is sagen, spelled S-A-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    bestimmte Worte sprechen (mit direkter oder indirekter Rede verwendet)
  2. 2
    Worte an eine bestimmte Person oder Personenkreis richten
  3. 3
    sich denken, sich überlegen
  4. 4
    als Argument, gegebenenfalls als Beweis anführen
  5. 5
    als Meinung, oder auch Haltung, vertreten

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sagen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Er sagte: „Pass auf!“
  2. Sag noch ein Wort, und ich gehe!

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asgen
  • saegn
  • sagenn
  • saggen
  • sagne
  • sgaen
  • ssagen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sagen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

asgen2saegn2sagenn1saggen1sagne2sgaen2ssagen1
Edit distance from "sagen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sagen"?
"sagen" is spelled S-A-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈzaːɡn̩].
What does "sagen" mean?
As a verb, "sagen" means: bestimmte Worte sprechen (mit direkter oder indirekter Rede verwendet)
What words are commonly confused with "sagen"?
"sagen" is commonly confused with "sagt", "Sven", "Seen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sagen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sagen" is [ˈzaːɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sagen" come from?
"sagen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sagen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "sagen". Here's where to go from here.

  • "sagen" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sagt". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #193 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list