seitS

Seit is the standard German preposition and adverb meaning “since” or “for” when used with a time expression. The form seitS, written as speziell "seits" in some sources, is an obscure, nonstandard variant that appears only sporadically in historical documents or certain regional dialects. In modern usage, seit is universally preferred and governs the dative case in time phrases, as in seit zwei Wochen.

The variant "seits" is not part of contemporary standard dictionaries and is generally described as archaic or dialectal. Its appearance in texts is typically confined to older orthographies or to local speech varieties where historical spellings persisted. Because it is not considered correct in standard German, most editors and style guides advise writers to avoid seitS in formal writing.

Origins of the form are uncertain; it is often treated as a historical spelling variant or a byproduct of dialectal pronunciation rather than a distinct semantic item. When encountered, seitS should be treated as nonstandard and usually replaced with seit in formal contexts.

Note that readers should not confuse sich with other similarly written forms. Seid is the second-person plural form of sein (you are), and seitens is a separate word meaning “on the part of.” Such homophones and near-homophones can complicate deciphering older or dialectal texts.

See also: seit, seid, seitens.