Which to use
“Zeilen” is a noun and “zuweilen” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,380
- “Zeilen” frequency rank
- #13,294
- “zuweilen” frequency rank
- 19674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zeilen | zuweilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Zeile | zu bestimmten Zeiten, aber nicht regelmäßig; für eine Weile und später wieder für eine Weile |
Where the eye mixes Zeilen and zuweilen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Zeilen runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against zuweilen's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Zeilen vs zuweilen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zeilen is [ˈt͡saɪ̯lən] while zuweilen is [t͡suˈvaɪ̯lən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zeilen is recorded at frequency rank #6,380, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯lən]. zuweilen is at rank #13,294, tagged as anadv, pronounced [t͡suˈvaɪ̯lən].
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 19674, this pair ranks #1,905,833 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Zeilen vs zuweilen
Shared letters: eilnz. Private to "Zeilen": -. Private to "zuweilen": uw.
"Zeilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "zuweilen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Zeilen" for "zuweilen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Zeilen" or "zuweilen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeilen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zuweilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,905,833 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zeilen" and "zuweilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zechen vs Zeilen". 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 #1,905,833 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.