ZehntvsZementWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,593
“Zehnt” frequency rank
#22,222
“Zement” frequency rank
63815
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zehnt Zement
Definition 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 Bindemittel für Beton und Mörtel

Where the eye mixes Zehnt and Zement

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Zehnt
6 ch
Zement

Visual trap between Zehnt and Zement

A purely visual mix-up. Zehnt ([t͡seːnt]) and Zement ([t͡seˈmɛnt]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63815, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zehnt is recorded at frequency rank #41,593, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡seːnt]. Zement is at rank #22,222, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡seˈmɛnt].

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 63815, this pair ranks #663,362 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Zehnt vs Zement

Shared letters: entz. Private to "Zehnt": h. Private to "Zement": m.

"Zehnt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Zement" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zehntezhnt · zehhnt · zehnnt · zehntt · zehtn · zenht · zhent · zzehnt
  • Zementezment · zeemnt · zemennt · zementt · zemetn · zemment · zemnet · zmeent

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Zehnt" for "Zement" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([t͡seːnt] versus [t͡seˈmɛnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Zehnt" or "Zement"?
"Zement" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,222 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

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Zehnt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Zement" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #663,362 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Zehnt" and "Zement" 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 #663,362 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