zeigevsZeilWhat's the difference?

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

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zeige and Zeil apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
zeige
4 ch
Zeil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • zeigeezige · zegie · zeieg · zeigge · zzeige
  • Zeilezil · zeill · zeli · zzeil

Frequency comparison

zeige#4,400
Zeil#30,399

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeige" and "Zeil" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "zeige" is a verb and "Zeil" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "zeige" or "Zeil"?
"zeige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,400 in our German list, against #30,399 for "Zeil". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zeige vs Zeil

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zeige”; for a name, it's “Zeil”.
  • 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