Zähne vs Zähnen, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,865
“Zähne” frequency rank: #12,009
“Zähnen” frequency rank: 15874
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Zähne	Zähnen
Definition	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zahn	Dativ Plural des Substantivs Zahn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Zähne and Zähnen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

Zähne

6 ch

Zähnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Zähne ([ˈt͡sɛːnə]) and Zähnen ([ˈt͡sɛːnən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Zähne” sits inside “Zähnen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zähne is recorded at frequency rank #3,865, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːnə]. Zähnen is at rank #12,009, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːnən].

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 15874, this pair ranks #1,940,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Zähne vs Zähnen

Shared letters: ehnzä. Private to "Zähne": -. Private to "Zähnen": -.

"Zähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Zähnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Zähne#3,865

Zähnen#12,009

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Zähne" and "Zähnen" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡sɛːnə] versus [ˈt͡sɛːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Zähne" or "Zähnen"?

"Zähne" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,865 in our German list, against #12,009 for "Zähnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Zähne vs Zähnen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Zähne” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable