Which to use
“zugehen” and “zustehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,335
- “zugehen” frequency rank
- #29,887
- “zustehen” frequency rank
- 46222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zugehen | zustehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in die Richtung von jemandem oder etwas gehen | rechtmäßig gehören, rechtmäßig gegeben werden müssen |
Where the eye mixes zugehen and zustehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zugehen runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against zustehen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zugehen vs zustehen
A purely visual mix-up. zugehen ([ˈt͡suːˌɡeːən]) and zustehen ([ˈt͡suːˌʃteːən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zugehen is recorded at frequency rank #16,335, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌɡeːən]. zustehen is at rank #29,887, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃteːən].
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 46222, this pair ranks #1,326,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zugehen vs zustehen
Shared letters: ehnuz. Private to "zugehen": g. Private to "zustehen": st.
"zugehen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "zustehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zugehen" for "zustehen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zugehen" or "zustehen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zugehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zustehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,326,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zugehen" and "zustehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zuseher vs zustehen". 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 #1,326,457 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.