Which to use
“zeige” is a verb and “Zeil” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,400
- “zeige” frequency rank
- #30,399
- “Zeil” frequency rank
- 34799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zeige | Zeil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zeigen | eine große innerstädtische Einkaufsstraße in Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland |
Where the eye mixes zeige and Zeil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. zeige runs 5 letters (CVVCV) against Zeil's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zeige with Zeil
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zeige is [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡə] while Zeil is [t͡saɪ̯l]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34799, 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]. Zeil is at rank #30,399, tagged as aname, pronounced [t͡saɪ̯l].
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 34799, this pair ranks #1,655,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zeige vs Zeil
Shared letters: eiz. Private to "zeige": g. Private to "Zeil": l.
"zeige" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "Zeil" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zeige" for "Zeil" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zeige" or "Zeil"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zeige" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,655,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeige" and "Zeil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zehe vs Zeil". 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 #1,655,003 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.