zeigevsZeigerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: zeige is a verb, Zeiger is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“zeige” is a verb and “Zeiger” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,400
“zeige” frequency rank
#22,974
“Zeiger” frequency rank
27374
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zeige Zeiger
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zeigen Teil eines Messgeräts oder einer Uhr, der den gemessenen Wert oder eine Richtung anzeigt (siehe auch Kompass, Navi oder Sextant)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zeige and Zeiger apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
zeige
6 ch
Zeiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zeige is [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡə] while Zeiger is [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “zeige” sits inside “Zeiger”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27374, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zeige is recorded at frequency rank #4,400, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡə]. 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 27374, this pair ranks #1,802,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zeige vs Zeiger

Shared letters: egiz. Private to "zeige": -. Private to "Zeiger": r.

"zeige" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Zeiger" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zeigeezige · zegie · zeieg · zeigge · zzeige
  • Zeigereziger · zegier · zeiegr · zeigerr · zeigger · zeigre · zieger · zzeiger

Frequency comparison

zeige#4,400
Zeiger#22,974

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeige" and "Zeiger" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "zeige" is a verb and "Zeiger" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "zeige" or "Zeiger"?
"zeige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,400 in our German list, against #22,974 for "Zeiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zeige vs Zeiger

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zeige”; for a noun, it's “Zeiger”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zeige” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list