Which to use
“zehn” is a num and “zieht” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #731
- “zehn” frequency rank
- #1,066
- “zieht” frequency rank
- 1797
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zehn | zieht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ziehen |
Where the eye mixes zehn and zieht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses zehn with zieht
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zehn is [t͡seːn] while zieht is [t͡siːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1797, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zehn is recorded at frequency rank #731, classified as anum, pronounced [t͡seːn]. zieht is at rank #1,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡siːt].
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 1797, this pair ranks #2,003,716 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zehn vs zieht
Shared letters: ehz. Private to "zehn": n. Private to "zieht": it.
"zehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "zieht" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zehn" for "zieht" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zehn" or "zieht" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zehn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zieht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,716 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zehn" and "zieht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zechen vs zehn". 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 #2,003,716 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.