Which to use
“zähen” is an adjective and “zechen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,326
- “zähen” frequency rank
- #48,646
- “zechen” frequency rank
- 85972
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähen | zechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | (meist in der Gruppe) übermäßig viel Alkohol trinken |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zähen and zechen apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: zähen is [ˈt͡sɛːən] while zechen is [ˈt͡sɛçn̩]. 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 85972, 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]. zechen is at rank #48,646, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛçn̩].
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 85972, this pair ranks #100,442 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of zähen vs zechen
Shared letters: ehnz. Private to "zähen": ä. Private to "zechen": c.
"zähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "zechen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- zechen ← ezchen · zcehen · zecchen · zecehn · zechenn · zechhen · zechne · zehcen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähen" and "zechen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zähen" or "zechen"?
Remembering zähen vs zechen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “zähen”; for a verb, it's “zechen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zähen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable