Which to use
“zahlen” is a verb and “zählende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #628
- “zahlen” frequency rank
- #43,663
- “zählende” frequency rank
- 44291
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zahlen | zählende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geld für eine Ware oder Leistung geben | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zählend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zahlen and zählende apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: zahlen is [ˈt͡saːlən] while zählende is [ˈt͡sɛːləndə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zahlen is recorded at frequency rank #628, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saːlən]. zählende is at rank #43,663, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːləndə].
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 44291, this pair ranks #1,390,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zahlen vs zählende
Shared letters: ehlnz. Private to "zahlen": a. Private to "zählende": dä.
"zahlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "zählende" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- zahlen ← azhlen · zaheln · zahhlen · zahlenn · zahllen · zahlne · zalhen · zhalen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zahlen" and "zählende" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zahlen" or "zählende"?
Remembering zahlen vs zählende
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zahlen”; for an adjective, it's “zählende”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zahlen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable