Which to use
“nachdenken” and “nachzudenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,059
- “nachdenken” frequency rank
- #8,111
- “nachzudenken” frequency rank
- 11170
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nachdenken | nachzudenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich eingehend in Gedanken mit etwas oder jemandem beschäftigen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs nachdenken |
Where the eye mixes nachdenken and nachzudenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. nachdenken runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against nachzudenken's 12 (CVCCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between nachdenken and nachzudenken
A purely visual mix-up. nachdenken ([ˈnaːxˌdɛŋkn̩]) and nachzudenken ([ˈnaːxt͡suˌdɛŋkn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11170, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nachdenken is recorded at frequency rank #3,059, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌdɛŋkn̩]. nachzudenken is at rank #8,111, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxt͡suˌdɛŋkn̩].
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 11170, this pair ranks #1,971,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nachdenken vs nachzudenken
Shared letters: acdehkn. Private to "nachdenken": -. Private to "nachzudenken": uz.
"nachdenken" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "nachzudenken" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nachdenken ← anchdenken · nacchdenken · nacdhenken · nachddenken · nachdeknen · nachdenekn · nachdenkenn · nachdenkken
- nachzudenken ← anchzudenken · nacchzudenken · nachhzudenken · nachuzdenken · nachzduenken · nachzuddenken · nachzudeknen · nachzudenekn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nachdenken" for "nachzudenken" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nachdenken" or "nachzudenken"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nachdenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nachzudenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nachdenken" and "nachzudenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nachdenke vs nachdenken". 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 #1,971,311 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.