Which to use
“zach” and “zähe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,855
- “zach” frequency rank
- #44,398
- “zähe” frequency rank
- 66253
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zach | zähe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zäh, auch übertragen für mühsam | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh |
Where the eye mixes zach and zähe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. zach (CVCC) and zähe (CVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: zach vs zähe
A purely visual mix-up. zach ([t͡sax]) and zähe ([ˈt͡sɛːə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zach is recorded at frequency rank #21,855, classified as anadj, pronounced [t͡sax]. zähe is at rank #44,398, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːə].
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 66253, this pair ranks #579,401 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zach vs zähe
Shared letters: hz. Private to "zach": ac. Private to "zähe": eä.
"zach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "zähe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- zach ← azch · zacch · zachh · zahc · zcah · zzach
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zach" and "zähe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zach" vs "zähe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zähe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #579,401 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zach" and "zähe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähe vs zapf". 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 #579,401 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.