Which to use
“zähen” is an adjective and “ziehen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,326
- “zähen” frequency rank
- #771
- “ziehen” frequency rank
- 38097
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähen | ziehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | mit Anwendung von Kraft hinter sich her oder auf sich zu bewegen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zähen and ziehen 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 ziehen is [ˈt͡siːən]. 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 38097, 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]. ziehen is at rank #771, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡siːən].
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 38097, this pair ranks #1,572,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zähen vs ziehen
Shared letters: ehnz. Private to "zähen": ä. Private to "ziehen": i.
"zähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "ziehen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ziehen ← izehen · zeihen · zieehn · ziehenn · ziehhen · ziehne · ziheen · zziehen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähen" and "ziehen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zähen" or "ziehen"?
Remembering zähen vs ziehen
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 “ziehen”.
- 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