ZahltagvsZahlungTell them apart

Which to use

“Zahltag” and “Zahlung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#42,277
“Zahltag” frequency rank
#5,902
“Zahlung” frequency rank
48179
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zahltag Zahlung
Definition Tag, an dem der Lohn oder eine andere Zahlung ausgezahlt wird der Vorgang des Zahlens

Where the eye mixes Zahltag and Zahlung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Zahltag (CVCCCVC) and Zahlung (CVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
Zahltag
7 ch
Zahlung

Look-alike desk: Zahltag vs Zahlung

A purely visual mix-up. Zahltag ([ˈt͡saːlˌtaːk]) and Zahlung ([ˈt͡saːlʊŋ]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zahltag is recorded at frequency rank #42,277, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saːlˌtaːk]. Zahlung is at rank #5,902, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saːlʊŋ].

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 48179, this pair ranks #1,257,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Zahltag vs Zahlung

Shared letters: aghlz. Private to "Zahltag": t. Private to "Zahlung": nu.

"Zahltag" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Zahlung" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zahltag ← azhltag · zahhltag · zahlatg · zahlltag · zahltagg · zahltga · zahlttag · zahtlag
  • Zahlung ← azhlung · zahhlung · zahllung · zahlnug · zahlugn · zahlungg · zahlunng · zahulng

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Zahltag" for "Zahlung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡saːlˌtaːk] versus [ˈt͡saːlʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Zahltag" or "Zahlung"?
"Zahlung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,902 in our German list, against #42,277 for "Zahltag". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Zahltag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Zahlung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,257,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Zahltag" and "Zahlung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zahltag 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 #1,257,962 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list