Which to use
“Zacken” and “Zecke” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,965
- “Zacken” frequency rank
- #43,649
- “Zecke” frequency rank
- 86614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zacken | Zecke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zacke | parasitisch lebendes Spinnentier |
Where the eye mixes Zacken and Zecke
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Zacken runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Zecke's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Zacken vs Zecke
A purely visual mix-up. Zacken ([ˈt͡sakn̩]) and Zecke ([ˈt͡sɛkə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zacken is recorded at frequency rank #42,965, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sakn̩]. Zecke is at rank #43,649, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛkə].
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 86614, this pair ranks #91,291 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Zacken vs Zecke
Shared letters: cekz. Private to "Zacken": an. Private to "Zecke": -.
"Zacken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Zecke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Zacken" for "Zecke" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Zacken" or "Zecke" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zacken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zecke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,291 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zacken" and "Zecke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zechen vs Zecke". 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 #91,291 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.