Which to use
“zugeben” and “zusehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,135
- “zugeben” frequency rank
- #7,554
- “zusehen” frequency rank
- 12689
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zugeben | zusehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas als richtig, zutreffend bestätigen; einer fremden Behauptung Richtigkeit zubilligen eine eigene Tat einräumen, eingestehen | etwas (passiv) anschauen |
Where the eye mixes zugeben and zusehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zugeben and zusehen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: zugeben vs zusehen
A purely visual mix-up. zugeben ([ˈt͡suːˌɡeːbn̩]) and zusehen ([ˈt͡suːˌzeːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zugeben is recorded at frequency rank #5,135, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌɡeːbn̩]. zusehen is at rank #7,554, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌzeːən].
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 12689, this pair ranks #1,962,652 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zugeben vs zusehen
Shared letters: enuz. Private to "zugeben": bg. Private to "zusehen": hs.
"zugeben" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "zusehen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zugeben" for "zusehen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zugeben" or "zusehen"?
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 "zugeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zusehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,962,652 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zugeben" and "zusehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zusehen vs Zuseher". 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 #1,962,652 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.