ZäsurvsZensurWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#36,758
“Zäsur” frequency rank
#8,493
“Zensur” frequency rank
45251
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zäsur Zensur
Definition eine Unterbrechung, nach der es deutlich anders weitergeht als zuvor; Einschnitt Note für erbrachte Leistung oder Verhalten

Where the eye mixes Zäsur and Zensur

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Zäsur runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Zensur's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Zäsur
6 ch
Zensur

Look-alike desk: Zäsur vs Zensur

A purely visual mix-up. Zäsur ([t͡sɛˈzuːɐ̯]) and Zensur ([t͡sɛnˈzuːɐ̯]) 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 45251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zäsur is recorded at frequency rank #36,758, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɛˈzuːɐ̯]. Zensur is at rank #8,493, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɛnˈzuːɐ̯].

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 45251, this pair ranks #1,359,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Zäsur vs Zensur

Shared letters: rsuz. Private to "Zäsur": ä. Private to "Zensur": en.

"Zäsur" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Zensur" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zensur ← eznsur · zennsur · zensru · zenssur · zensurr · zenusr · zesnur · znesur

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Zäsur" and "Zensur" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([t͡sɛˈzuːɐ̯] versus [t͡sɛnˈzuːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Zäsur" or "Zensur"?
"Zensur" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,493 in our German list, against #36,758 for "Zäsur". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Zäsur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Zensur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,359,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Zäsur" and "Zensur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zäher vs Zäsur". 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 #1,359,426 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