Which to use
“anlegen” and “anzeigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,453
- “anlegen” frequency rank
- #3,793
- “anzeigen” frequency rank
- 9246
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anlegen | anzeigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas erschaffen oder erstellen | der Polizei oder Staatsanwaltschaft eine von jemandem verübte Straftat mitteilen |
Where the eye mixes anlegen and anzeigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. anlegen runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against anzeigen's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anlegen with anzeigen
A purely visual mix-up. anlegen ([ˈanˌleːɡn̩]) and anzeigen ([ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9246, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anlegen is recorded at frequency rank #5,453, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌleːɡn̩]. anzeigen is at rank #3,793, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 9246, this pair ranks #1,980,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anlegen vs anzeigen
Shared letters: aegn. Private to "anlegen": l. Private to "anzeigen": iz.
"anlegen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "anzeigen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anlegen" and "anzeigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "anlegen" or "anzeigen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anlegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzeigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,980,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anlegen" and "anzeigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anlegen vs Anlieger". 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 #1,980,810 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.