Which to use
“Zehner” and “Zeiger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,398
- “Zehner” frequency rank
- #22,974
- “Zeiger” frequency rank
- 53372
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zehner | Zeiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit Größe, Wert, Maß oder Nummer 10 | Teil eines Messgeräts oder einer Uhr, der den gemessenen Wert oder eine Richtung anzeigt (siehe auch Kompass, Navi oder Sextant) |
Where the eye mixes Zehner and Zeiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Zehner (CVCCVC) and Zeiger (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Zehner and Zeiger
A purely visual mix-up. Zehner ([ˈt͡seːnɐ]) and Zeiger ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡɐ]) 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 53372, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zehner is recorded at frequency rank #30,398, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡seːnɐ]. Zeiger is at rank #22,974, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡɐ].
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 53372, this pair ranks #1,060,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Zehner vs Zeiger
Shared letters: erz. Private to "Zehner": hn. Private to "Zeiger": gi.
"Zehner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Zeiger" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Zehner" for "Zeiger" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Zehner" vs "Zeiger" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zehner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,060,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zehner" and "Zeiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zehe vs Zehner". 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 #1,060,607 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.