Which to use
“zugute” is an adverb and “zumuten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,794
- “zugute” frequency rank
- #28,039
- “zumuten” frequency rank
- 39833
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zugute | zumuten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (schweizerisch, süddeutsch) zu jemandes Vorteil, zu jemandes Gunsten | etwas von sich oder anderen verlangen, was nur schwer zu leisten oder zu ertragen, eigentlich unzumutbar ist |
Where the eye mixes zugute and zumuten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zugute runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against zumuten's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zugute with zumuten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zugute is [ˌt͡suˈɡuːtə] while zumuten is [ˈt͡suːˌmuːtn̩]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39833, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zugute is recorded at frequency rank #11,794, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˌt͡suˈɡuːtə]. zumuten is at rank #28,039, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌmuːtn̩].
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 39833, this pair ranks #1,525,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zugute vs zumuten
Shared letters: etuz. Private to "zugute": g. Private to "zumuten": mn.
"zugute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "zumuten" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zugute" and "zumuten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "zugute" or "zumuten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zugute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zumuten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,525,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zugute" and "zumuten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zumuten vs zuzumuten". 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 #1,525,596 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.