entstehtvsentziehtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“entsteht” and “entzieht” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,964
“entsteht” frequency rank
#17,275
“entzieht” frequency rank
19239
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entsteht entzieht
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs entstehen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs entziehen

Where the eye mixes entsteht and entzieht

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. entsteht (VCCCCVCC) and entzieht (VCCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
entsteht
8 ch
entzieht

Visual trap between entsteht and entzieht

A purely visual mix-up. entsteht ([ɛntˈʃteːt]) and entzieht ([ɛntˈt͡siːt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entsteht is recorded at frequency rank #1,964, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃteːt]. entzieht is at rank #17,275, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈt͡siːt].

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 19239, this pair ranks #1,910,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entsteht vs entzieht

Shared letters: ehnt. Private to "entsteht": s. Private to "entzieht": iz.

"entsteht" · 8 letters · shape VCCCCVCC  ·  "entzieht" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entsteht ← enntsteht · enstteht · entsetht · entssteht · entstehht · entstehtt · entsteth · entsthet
  • entzieht ← enntzieht · entizeht · enttzieht · entzeiht · entziehht · entziehtt · entzieth · entzihet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entsteht" and "entzieht" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃteːt] versus [ɛntˈt͡siːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entsteht" or "entzieht"?
"entsteht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,964 in our German list, against #17,275 for "entzieht". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "entsteht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entzieht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,910,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entsteht" and "entzieht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entzieht vs erzieht". 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 #1,910,427 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list