Which to use
“Zeugs” is a noun and “zeugte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,133
- “Zeugs” frequency rank
- #47,147
- “zeugte” frequency rank
- 65280
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zeugs | zeugte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Masse oder mehrere Dinge, die als unwichtig, wertlos oder störend empfunden und aus Abneigung nicht genauer benannt werden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zeugen |
Where the eye mixes Zeugs and zeugte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Zeugs with zeugte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zeugs is [t͡sɔɪ̯ks] while zeugte is [ˈt͡sɔɪ̯ktə]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65280, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zeugs is recorded at frequency rank #18,133, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɔɪ̯ks]. zeugte is at rank #47,147, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɔɪ̯ktə].
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 65280, this pair ranks #612,324 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Zeugs vs zeugte
Shared letters: eguz. Private to "Zeugs": s. Private to "zeugte": t.
"Zeugs" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "zeugte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Zeugs" and "zeugte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Zeugs" or "zeugte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zeugs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zeugte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #612,324 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zeugs" and "zeugte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zehnte vs zeugte". 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 #612,324 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.