ZehvsZehntConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#19,460
“Zeh” frequency rank
#41,593
“Zehnt” frequency rank
61053
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zeh Zehnt
Definition der einem Finger entsprechende Teil des Fußes eine vom Mittelalter bis ins 19. Jahrhundert von Laien an die Kirche zu zahlende Abgabe zur Unterhaltung des Klerus ursprünglich als Naturalsteuer, später als Vermögensabgabe ausgelegt

Where the eye mixes Zeh and Zehnt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Zeh runs 3 letters (CVC) against Zehnt's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

3 ch
Zeh
5 ch
Zehnt

Why the eye confuses Zeh with Zehnt

A purely visual mix-up. Zeh ([t͡seː]) and Zehnt ([t͡seːnt]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Zeh” sits inside “Zehnt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61053, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zeh is recorded at frequency rank #19,460, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡seː]. Zehnt is at rank #41,593, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡seːnt].

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 61053, this pair ranks #764,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Zeh vs Zehnt

Shared letters: ehz. Private to "Zeh": -. Private to "Zehnt": nt.

"Zeh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Zehnt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zehntezhnt · zehhnt · zehnnt · zehntt · zehtn · zenht · zhent · zzehnt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Zeh" and "Zehnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡seː] versus [t͡seːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Zeh" vs "Zehnt" - which ranks higher?
"Zeh" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,460 in our German list, against #41,593 for "Zehnt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Zeh" and "Zehnt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Zeh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Zehnt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #764,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Zeh" and "Zehnt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zehnt vs zerrt". 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 #764,028 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