Which to use
“Zähler” and “Zauber” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,889
- “Zähler” frequency rank
- #9,303
- “Zauber” frequency rank
- 26192
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zähler | Zauber |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die etwas zählt | übernatürliche Wirkung, magische Manipulation, die nicht den Naturgesetzen unterliegt; unerklärlicher Vorgang |
Where the eye mixes Zähler and Zauber
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Zähler (CVCCVC) and Zauber (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Zähler vs Zauber
A purely visual mix-up. Zähler ([ˈt͡sɛːlɐ]) and Zauber ([ˈt͡saʊ̯bɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zähler is recorded at frequency rank #16,889, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːlɐ]. Zauber is at rank #9,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saʊ̯bɐ].
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 26192, this pair ranks #1,821,785 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Zähler vs Zauber
Shared letters: erz. Private to "Zähler": hlä. Private to "Zauber": abu.
"Zähler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Zauber" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Zauber ← azuber · zabuer · zaubber · zauberr · zaubre · zauebr · zuaber · zzauber
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Zähler" for "Zauber" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Zähler" vs "Zauber" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zähler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zauber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,821,785 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zähler" and "Zauber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zähler 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 #1,821,785 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.