Which to use
“zähle” is a verb and “Zählern” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- #47,162
- “Zählern” frequency rank
- 60009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähle | Zählern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Zähler |
Where the eye mixes zähle and Zählern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zähle runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Zählern's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zähle and Zählern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zähle is [ˈt͡sɛːlə] while Zählern is [ˈt͡sɛːlɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “zähle” sits inside “Zählern”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zähle is recorded at frequency rank #12,847, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːlə]. Zählern is at rank #47,162, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːlɐn].
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 60009, this pair ranks #803,011 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zähle vs Zählern
Shared letters: ehlzä. Private to "zähle": -. Private to "Zählern": nr.
"zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Zählern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zähle" for "Zählern" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zähle" vs "Zählern" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zähle" and "Zählern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zählern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #803,011 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähle" and "Zählern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zäher vs Zählern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #803,011 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.