zechenvszeigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,646
“zechen” frequency rank
#448
“zeigen” frequency rank
49094
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zechen zeigen
Definition (meist in der Gruppe) übermäßig viel Alkohol trinken jemanden etwas sehen lassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zechen and zeigen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
zechen
6 ch
zeigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zechen ([ˈt͡sɛçn̩]) and zeigen ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 49094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zechen is recorded at frequency rank #48,646, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛçn̩]. zeigen is at rank #448, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].

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 49094, this pair ranks #1,224,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of zechen vs zeigen

Shared letters: enz. Private to "zechen": ch. Private to "zeigen": gi.

"zechen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "zeigen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zechenezchen · zcehen · zecchen · zecehn · zechenn · zechhen · zechne · zehcen
  • zeigenezigen · zegien · zeiegn · zeigenn · zeiggen · zeigne · zzeigen

Frequency comparison

zechen#48,646
zeigen#448

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zechen" and "zeigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡sɛçn̩] versus [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zechen" or "zeigen"?
"zeigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #448 in our German list, against #48,646 for "zechen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering zechen vs zeigen

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 “zechen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list