Which to use
“zählte” and “zielte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,557
- “zählte” frequency rank
- #26,709
- “zielte” frequency rank
- 34266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zählte | zielte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zielen |
Where the eye mixes zählte and zielte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zählte (CVCCCV) and zielte (CVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: zählte vs zielte
A purely visual mix-up. zählte ([ˈt͡sɛːltə]) and zielte ([ˈt͡siːltə]) 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 34266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zählte is recorded at frequency rank #7,557, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːltə]. zielte is at rank #26,709, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡siːltə].
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 34266, this pair ranks #1,667,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zählte vs zielte
Shared letters: eltz. Private to "zählte": hä. Private to "zielte": i.
"zählte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "zielte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- zielte ← izelte · zeilte · zielet · ziellte · zieltte · zietle · zilete · zzielte
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zählte" for "zielte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zählte" or "zielte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zählte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zielte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,667,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zählte" and "zielte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ziels vs zielte". 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 #1,667,239 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.