Which to use
“Zeit” is a noun and “zeitig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #101
- “Zeit” frequency rank
- #26,706
- “zeitig” frequency rank
- 26807
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zeit | zeitig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der stetige Ablauf von Zeiteinheiten | zu einem relativ frühen Zeitpunkt, verhältnismäßig früh |
Where the eye mixes Zeit and zeitig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Zeit runs 4 letters (CVVC) against zeitig's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Zeit vs zeitig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zeit is [t͡saɪ̯t] while zeitig is [ˈt͡saɪ̯tɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Zeit” sits inside “zeitig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26807, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zeit is recorded at frequency rank #101, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡saɪ̯t]. zeitig is at rank #26,706, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯tɪç].
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 26807, this pair ranks #1,812,058 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Zeit vs zeitig
Shared letters: eitz. Private to "Zeit": -. Private to "zeitig": g.
"Zeit" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "zeitig" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Zeit" and "zeitig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Zeit" or "zeitig"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zeitig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,812,058 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zeit" and "zeitig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zeitig vs Zeitz". 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 #1,812,058 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.