Which to use
“nachvollziehen” and “nachzuvollziehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,835
- “nachvollziehen” frequency rank
- #28,319
- “nachzuvollziehen” frequency rank
- 35154
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nachvollziehen | nachzuvollziehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geschehenes oder von anderen Überlegtes selbst durchdenken, so dass man es verstehen kann | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs nachvollziehen |
Where the eye mixes nachvollziehen and nachzuvollziehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 14 letters in sequence. nachvollziehen runs 14 letters (CVCCCVCCCVVCVC) against nachzuvollziehen's 16 (CVCCCVCVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nachvollziehen with nachzuvollziehen
A purely visual mix-up. nachvollziehen ([ˈnaːxfɔlˌt͡siːən]) and nachzuvollziehen ([ˈnaːxt͡sufɔlˌt͡siːən]) 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 35154, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nachvollziehen is recorded at frequency rank #6,835, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxfɔlˌt͡siːən]. nachzuvollziehen is at rank #28,319, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxt͡sufɔlˌt͡siːən].
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 35154, this pair ranks #1,646,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nachvollziehen vs nachzuvollziehen
Shared letters: acehilnovz. Private to "nachvollziehen": -. Private to "nachzuvollziehen": u.
"nachvollziehen" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCVVCVC · "nachzuvollziehen" · 16 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nachvollziehen ← anchvollziehen · nacchvollziehen · nachhvollziehen · nachovllziehen · nachvlolziehen · nachvollizehen · nachvollzeihen · nachvollzieehn
- nachzuvollziehen ← anchzuvollziehen · nacchzuvollziehen · nachhzuvollziehen · nachuzvollziehen · nachzuovllziehen · nachzuvlolziehen · nachzuvollizehen · nachzuvollzeihen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nachvollziehen" and "nachzuvollziehen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "nachvollziehen" or "nachzuvollziehen" 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 "nachvollziehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nachzuvollziehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,646,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #1,646,773 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.