Which to use
“are” is a verb and “AZ” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,019
- “are” frequency rank
- #9,150
- “AZ” frequency rank
- 13169
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | are | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs be | Aktenzeichen |
Where the eye mixes are and AZ
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: are vs AZ
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: are is [ə] while AZ is [aːˈt͡sɛt]. 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 (verb vs abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
are is recorded at frequency rank #4,019, classified as averb, pronounced [ə]. AZ is at rank #9,150, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [aːˈt͡sɛt].
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 13169, this pair ranks #1,959,687 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of are vs AZ
Shared letters: a. Private to "are": er. Private to "AZ": z.
"are" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "AZ" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "are" for "AZ" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "are" or "AZ" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "are" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "AZ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,959,687 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "are" and "AZ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AUD vs AZ". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,959,687 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.