Which to use
“zähe” is an adjective and “zehn” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,398
- “zähe” frequency rank
- #731
- “zehn” frequency rank
- 45129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähe | zehn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zähe and zehn apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zähe is [ˈt͡sɛːə] while zehn is [t͡seːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45129, 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]. zehn is at rank #731, tagged as anum, pronounced [t͡seːn].
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 45129, this pair ranks #1,363,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zähe vs zehn
Shared letters: ehz. Private to "zähe": ä. Private to "zehn": n.
"zähe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "zehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- zehn ← ezhn · zehhn · zehnn · zenh · zhen · zzehn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähe" and "zehn" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zähe" or "zehn"?
Remembering zähe vs zehn
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “zähe”; for a num, it's “zehn”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zähe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable