Which to use
“zeigen” is a verb and “Zungen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #448
- “zeigen” frequency rank
- #23,802
- “Zungen” frequency rank
- 24250
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zeigen | Zungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden etwas sehen lassen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zunge |
Where the eye mixes zeigen and Zungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. zeigen (CVVCVC) and Zungen (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses zeigen with Zungen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zeigen is [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩] while Zungen is [ˈt͡sʊŋən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zeigen is recorded at frequency rank #448, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]. Zungen is at rank #23,802, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡sʊŋən].
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 24250, this pair ranks #1,850,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zeigen vs Zungen
Shared letters: egnz. Private to "zeigen": i. Private to "Zungen": u.
"zeigen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Zungen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zeigen" and "Zungen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zeigen" or "Zungen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zeigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,850,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeigen" and "Zungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zungen vs zupfen". 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 #1,850,326 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.