Which to use
“zehn” is a num and “Zehnte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #731
- “zehn” frequency rank
- #16,610
- “Zehnte” frequency rank
- 17341
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zehn | Zehnte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf | eine etwa zehnprozentige traditionelle Steuer in Form von Geld oder Naturalien an eine Institution |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zehn and Zehnte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
zehn and Zehnte form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “zehn” sits inside “Zehnte” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zehn is recorded at frequency rank #731, classified as anum, pronounced [t͡seːn]. Zehnte is at rank #16,610, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡seːntə].
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 17341, this pair ranks #1,928,240 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zehn" and "Zehnte" be used interchangeably?
Remembering zehn vs Zehnte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “zehn”; for a noun, it's “Zehnte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zehn” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable