Which to use
“zeigten” and “zelten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,089
- “zeigten” frequency rank
- #18,132
- “zelten” frequency rank
- 22221
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zeigten | zelten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zeigen | in einem Zelt wohnen |
Where the eye mixes zeigten and zelten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zeigten runs 7 letters (CVVCCVC) against zelten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zeigten with zelten
A purely visual mix-up. zeigten ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩]) and zelten ([ˈt͡sɛltn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zeigten is recorded at frequency rank #4,089, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩]. zelten is at rank #18,132, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛltn̩].
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 22221, this pair ranks #1,876,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zeigten vs zelten
Shared letters: entz. Private to "zeigten": gi. Private to "zelten": l.
"zeigten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "zelten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zeigten" and "zelten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zeigten" or "zelten"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zeigten" and "zelten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zeigten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zelten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,876,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeigten" and "zelten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zechen vs zelten". 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 #1,876,840 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.