Which to use
“zahlen” and “zählten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #628
- “zahlen” frequency rank
- #14,219
- “zählten” frequency rank
- 14847
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zahlen | zählten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geld für eine Ware oder Leistung geben | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zahlen and zählten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zahlen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against zählten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zahlen vs zählten
A purely visual mix-up. zahlen ([ˈt͡saːlən]) and zählten ([ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]) 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 14847, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zahlen is recorded at frequency rank #628, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saːlən]. zählten is at rank #14,219, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːltn̩].
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 14847, this pair ranks #1,948,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zahlen vs zählten
Shared letters: ehlnz. Private to "zahlen": a. Private to "zählten": tä.
"zahlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "zählten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- zahlen ← azhlen · zaheln · zahhlen · zahlenn · zahllen · zahlne · zalhen · zhalen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zahlen" and "zählten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zahlen" vs "zählten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "zahlen" and "zählten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zahlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zählten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,948,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zahlen" and "zählten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zählern vs zählten". 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 #1,948,287 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.