zeigtvsZeilWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

“zeigt” is a verb and “Zeil” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#399
“zeigt” frequency rank
#30,399
“Zeil” frequency rank
30798
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zeigt Zeil
Definition 3. 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 zeigt and Zeil apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
zeigt
4 ch
Zeil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zeigt is [t͡saɪ̯kt] 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 30798, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zeigt is recorded at frequency rank #399, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡saɪ̯kt]. 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 30798, this pair ranks #1,740,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zeigt vs Zeil

Shared letters: eiz. Private to "zeigt": gt. Private to "Zeil": l.

"zeigt" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "Zeil" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zeigtezigt · zegit · zeiggt · zeigtt · zeitg · ziegt · zzeigt
  • Zeilezil · zeill · zeli · zzeil

Frequency comparison

zeigt#399
Zeil#30,399

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeigt" and "Zeil" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "zeigt" is a verb and "Zeil" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "zeigt" or "Zeil"?
"zeigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #399 in our German list, against #30,399 for "Zeil". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering zeigt vs Zeil

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zeigt”; for a name, it's “Zeil”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zeigt” 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