Which to use
“zögern” and “zögert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,785
- “zögern” frequency rank
- #30,407
- “zögert” frequency rank
- 41192
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zögern | zögert |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas aufschieben, nicht sofort tun | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zögern |
Where the eye mixes zögern and zögert
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zögern and zögert follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: zögern vs zögert
A purely visual mix-up. zögern ([ˈt͡søːɡɐn]) and zögert ([ˈt͡søːɡɐt]) 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 a single letter - n in “zögern” becomes t in “zögert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zögern is recorded at frequency rank #10,785, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡søːɡɐn]. zögert is at rank #30,407, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡søːɡɐt].
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 41192, this pair ranks #1,486,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zögern vs zögert
Shared letters: egrzö. Private to "zögern": n. Private to "zögert": t.
"zögern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "zögert" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zögern" and "zögert" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zögern" or "zögert"?
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 "zögern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zögert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,486,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zögern" and "zögert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zögert vs zögerte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,486,664 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.