Which to use
“zäher” is an adjective and “Zähne” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,351
- “zäher” frequency rank
- #3,865
- “Zähne” frequency rank
- 44216
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zäher | Zähne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zäh | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zahn |
Where the eye mixes zäher and Zähne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zäher (CVCVC) and Zähne (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses zäher with Zähne
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zäher is [ˈt͡sɛːɐ] while Zähne is [ˈt͡sɛːnə]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44216, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zäher is recorded at frequency rank #40,351, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːɐ]. Zähne is at rank #3,865, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːnə].
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 44216, this pair ranks #1,393,253 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zäher vs Zähne
Shared letters: ehzä. Private to "zäher": r. Private to "Zähne": n.
"zäher" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Zähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zäher" and "Zähne" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zäher" or "Zähne"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zäher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zähne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,393,253 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zäher" and "Zähne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zäher vs Zählern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,393,253 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.