Which to use
“Anzeichen” is a noun and “anzeigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,270
- “Anzeichen” frequency rank
- #3,793
- “anzeigen” frequency rank
- 10063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Anzeichen | anzeigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Beobachtetes, das auf etwas anderes schließen lässt | der Polizei oder Staatsanwaltschaft eine von jemandem verübte Straftat mitteilen |
Where the eye mixes Anzeichen and anzeigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Anzeichen runs 9 letters (VCCVVCCVC) against anzeigen's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Anzeichen and anzeigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Anzeichen is [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩] while anzeigen is [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Anzeichen is recorded at frequency rank #6,270, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩]. 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 10063, this pair ranks #1,976,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Anzeichen vs anzeigen
Shared letters: aeinz. Private to "Anzeichen": ch. Private to "anzeigen": g.
"Anzeichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC · "anzeigen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Anzeichen" for "anzeigen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Anzeichen" or "anzeigen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Anzeichen" 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 #1,976,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Anzeichen" and "anzeigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anheizen vs anzeigen". 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 #1,976,974 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.