Which to use
“Zeichen” is a noun and “zeigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,148
- “Zeichen” frequency rank
- #448
- “zeigen” frequency rank
- 1596
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zeichen | zeigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas sinnlich Vernehmbares, das als Hinweis für etwas dient | jemanden etwas sehen lassen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Zeichen and zeigen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Zeichen and zeigen 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1596, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zeichen is recorded at frequency rank #1,148, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯çn̩]. zeigen is at rank #448, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 1596, this pair ranks #2,004,057 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Zeichen" and "zeigen" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Zeichen vs zeigen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Zeichen”; for a verb, it's “zeigen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Zeichen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable