Which to use
“Zähne” and “Zehe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,865
- “Zähne” frequency rank
- #43,650
- “Zehe” frequency rank
- 47515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zähne | Zehe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zahn | der einem Finger entsprechende Teil des Fußes |
Where the eye mixes Zähne and Zehe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Zähne runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Zehe's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Zähne with Zehe
A purely visual mix-up. Zähne ([ˈt͡sɛːnə]) and Zehe ([ˈt͡seːə]) 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 47515, 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]. Zehe is at rank #43,650, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡seːə].
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 47515, this pair ranks #1,281,575 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Zähne vs Zehe
Shared letters: ehz. Private to "Zähne": nä. Private to "Zehe": -.
"Zähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Zehe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Zehe ← ezhe · zeeh · zehhe · zhee · zzehe
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Zähne" for "Zehe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Zähne" vs "Zehe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Zähne" and "Zehe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zähne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zehe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,281,575 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zähne" and "Zehe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zechen vs Zehe". 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 #1,281,575 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.