Which to use
“zähe” is an adjective and “Zeh” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,398
- “zähe” frequency rank
- #19,460
- “Zeh” frequency rank
- 63858
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähe | Zeh |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | der einem Finger entsprechende Teil des Fußes |
Where the eye mixes zähe and Zeh
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. zähe runs 4 letters (CVCV) against Zeh's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zähe with Zeh
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zähe is [ˈt͡sɛːə] while Zeh is [t͡seː]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63858, 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]. Zeh is at rank #19,460, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡seː].
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 63858, this pair ranks #661,867 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zähe vs Zeh
Shared letters: ehz. Private to "zähe": ä. Private to "Zeh": -.
"zähe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Zeh" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zähe" for "Zeh" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zähe" vs "Zeh" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "zähe" and "Zeh" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeh" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #661,867 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähe" and "Zeh" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähe vs zapf". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #661,867 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.