zugreifenvszutreffenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“zugreifen” and “zutreffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,846
“zugreifen” frequency rank
#20,140
“zutreffen” frequency rank
32986
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zugreifen zutreffen
Definition mit der Hand fassen (greifen), Zugang zu etwas bekommen mit den Tatsachen übereinstimmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zugreifen and zutreffen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
zugreifen
9 ch
zutreffen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zugreifen ([ˈt͡suːˌɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]) and zutreffen ([ˈt͡suːˌtʁɛfn̩]) 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 32986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zugreifen is recorded at frequency rank #12,846, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]. zutreffen is at rank #20,140, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌtʁɛfn̩].

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 32986, this pair ranks #1,695,795 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zugreifen vs zutreffen

Shared letters: efnruz. Private to "zugreifen": gi. Private to "zutreffen": t.

"zugreifen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "zutreffen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zugreifenuzgreifen · zgureifen · zugerifen · zuggreifen · zugrefien · zugreiefn · zugreifenn · zugreiffen
  • zutreffenuztreffen · ztureffen · zurteffen · zuterffen · zutrefefn · zutrefen · zutreffenn · zutreffne

Frequency comparison

zugreifen#12,846
zutreffen#20,140

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zugreifen" and "zutreffen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡suːˌɡʁaɪ̯fn̩] versus [ˈt͡suːˌtʁɛfn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zugreifen" or "zutreffen"?
"zugreifen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,846 in our German list, against #20,140 for "zutreffen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zugreifen vs zutreffen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zugreifen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list