Which to use
“zähen” is an adjective and “zähle” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,326
- “zähen” frequency rank
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- 50173
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähen | zähle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zähen and zähle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zähen (CVCVC) and zähle (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses zähen with zähle
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zähen is [ˈt͡sɛːən] while zähle is [ˈt͡sɛːlə]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zähen is recorded at frequency rank #37,326, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːən]. 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 50173, this pair ranks #1,183,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zähen vs zähle
Shared letters: ehzä. Private to "zähen": n. Private to "zähle": l.
"zähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähen" and "zähle" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zähen" or "zähle" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "zähen" and "zähle" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähen" 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 #1,183,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähen" and "zähle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähen vs zechen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,183,826 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.