KreuzwegvsKreuzzugWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,485
“Kreuzweg” frequency rank
#24,805
“Kreuzzug” frequency rank
64290
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kreuzweg Kreuzzug
Definition die Kreuzung verschiedener Wege an einer Stelle; die Stelle, an der sich verschiedene Wege gabeln religiös motivierte Feldzüge der christlichen Völker des Abendlands, deren Ziel es war das Heilige Land aus der Hand der Muslime zu befreien

Where the eye mixes Kreuzweg and Kreuzzug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Kreuzweg and Kreuzzug follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
Kreuzweg
8 ch
Kreuzzug

Why the eye confuses Kreuzweg with Kreuzzug

A purely visual mix-up. Kreuzweg ([ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌveːk]) and Kreuzzug ([ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌt͡suːk]) 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 64290, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kreuzweg is recorded at frequency rank #39,485, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌveːk]. Kreuzzug is at rank #24,805, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌt͡suːk].

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 64290, this pair ranks #646,795 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kreuzweg vs Kreuzzug

Shared letters: egkruz. Private to "Kreuzweg": w. Private to "Kreuzzug": -.

"Kreuzweg" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVC  ·  "Kreuzzug" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kreuzwegkeruzweg · kkreuzweg · kreuwzeg · kreuzewg · kreuzwegg · kreuzwge · kreuzwweg · kreuzzweg
  • Kreuzzugkeruzzug · kkreuzzug · kreuzug · kreuzuzg · kreuzzgu · kreuzzugg · krezuzug · krreuzzug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Kreuzweg" for "Kreuzzug" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌveːk] versus [ˈkʁɔɪ̯t͡sˌt͡suːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kreuzweg" or "Kreuzzug"?
"Kreuzzug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,805 in our German list, against #39,485 for "Kreuzweg". 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 "Kreuzweg" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kreuzzug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #646,795 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kreuzweg" and "Kreuzzug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kreuzzug vs Kreuzzüge". 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 #646,795 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