zeigvszipTell them apart

Which to use

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

#6,028
“zeig” frequency rank
#30,400
“zip” frequency rank
36428
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zeig zip
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zeigen mittels Reißverschluss schließen

Where the eye mixes zeig and zip

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. zeig runs 4 letters (CVVC) against zip's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
zeig
3 ch
zip

Visual trap between zeig and zip

A purely visual mix-up. zeig ([t͡saɪ̯k]) and zip ([zɪp]) 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 36428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zeig is recorded at frequency rank #6,028, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡saɪ̯k]. zip is at rank #30,400, tagged as averb, pronounced [zɪp].

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 36428, this pair ranks #1,615,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zeig vs zip

Shared letters: iz. Private to "zeig": eg. Private to "zip": p.

"zeig" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "zip" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zeig ← ezig · zegi · zeigg · zieg · zzeig

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeig" and "zip" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡saɪ̯k] versus [zɪp]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zeig" or "zip"?
"zeig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,028 in our German list, against #30,400 for "zip". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "zeig" and "zip" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "zeig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "zip" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,615,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "zeig" and "zip" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zapf vs zip". 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 #1,615,849 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