Which to use
“zähe” is an adjective and “zähle” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,398
- “zähe” frequency rank
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- 57245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähe | zähle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zähe and zähle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zähe runs 4 letters (CVCV) against zähle's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zähe and zähle
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zähe is [ˈt͡sɛːə] while zähle is [ˈt͡sɛːlə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zähe is recorded at frequency rank #44,398, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːə]. zähle is at rank #12,847, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːlə].
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 57245, this pair ranks #908,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zähe vs zähle
Shared letters: ehzä. Private to "zähe": -. Private to "zähle": l.
"zähe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähe" and "zähle" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zähe" or "zähle" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zähle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #908,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähe" and "zähle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähe vs zapf". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #908,850 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.