zuhörenvszuzuhörenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,882
“zuhören” frequency rank
#20,141
“zuzuhören” frequency rank
27023
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zuhören zuzuhören
Definition (jemanden/etwas) bewusst hören erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs zuhören

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
zuhören
9 ch
zuzuhören

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zuhören ([ˈt͡suːˌhøːʁən]) and zuzuhören ([ˈt͡suːt͡suˌhøːʁən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “zuhören” sits inside “zuzuhören”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zuhören is recorded at frequency rank #6,882, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌhøːʁən]. zuzuhören is at rank #20,141, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːt͡suˌhøːʁən].

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 27023, this pair ranks #1,808,545 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zuhören vs zuzuhören

Shared letters: ehnruzö. Private to "zuhören": -. Private to "zuzuhören": -.

"zuhören" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "zuzuhören" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

zuhören#6,882
zuzuhören#20,141

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zuhören" and "zuzuhören" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡suːˌhøːʁən] versus [ˈt͡suːt͡suˌhøːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zuhören" or "zuzuhören"?
"zuhören" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,882 in our German list, against #20,141 for "zuzuhören". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zuhören vs zuzuhören

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 “zuhören” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list