Which to use
“zähle” and “zahlst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- #20,469
- “zahlst” frequency rank
- 33316
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähle | zahlst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zahlen |
Where the eye mixes zähle and zahlst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. zähle runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against zahlst's 6 (CVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zähle with zahlst
A purely visual mix-up. zähle ([ˈt͡sɛːlə]) and zahlst ([t͡saːlst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33316, 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]. zahlst is at rank #20,469, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡saːlst].
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 33316, this pair ranks #1,688,600 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zähle vs zahlst
Shared letters: hlz. Private to "zähle": eä. Private to "zahlst": ast.
"zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "zahlst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- zahlst ← azhlst · zahhlst · zahllst · zahlsst · zahlstt · zahlts · zahslt · zalhst
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zähle" and "zahlst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zähle" or "zahlst"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zähle" and "zahlst" 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 "zahlst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,688,600 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähle" and "zahlst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähle vs Zählern". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,688,600 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.