Which to use
“zähle” and “zählt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- #1,499
- “zählt” frequency rank
- 14346
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähle | zählt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zähle and zählt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zähle (CVCCV) and zählt (CVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: zähle vs zählt
A purely visual mix-up. zähle ([ˈt͡sɛːlə]) and zählt ([t͡sɛːlt]) 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 a single letter - e in “zähle” becomes t in “zählt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14346, 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]. zählt is at rank #1,499, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡sɛːlt].
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 14346, this pair ranks #1,951,830 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zähle vs zählt
Shared letters: hlzä. Private to "zähle": e. Private to "zählt": t.
"zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "zählt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zähle" and "zählt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zähle" or "zählt"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zählt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,951,830 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähle" and "zählt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähle vs Zählern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,951,830 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.