Which to use
“zumute” and “zunutze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,585
- “zumute” frequency rank
- #30,402
- “zunutze” frequency rank
- 57987
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zumute | zunutze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem ist/wird [es] irgendwie zumute oder jemand ist/gerät in eine bestimmte innere Stimmung oder Verfassung, jemand fühlt sich in einer bestimmten Weise; jemand ist in einer inneren Verfassung oder gerät in eine solche, in der er mit etwas gut sofort beginnen könnte | zum Nutzen, so dass es einen Vorteil ergibt |
Where the eye mixes zumute and zunutze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zumute runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against zunutze's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zumute with zunutze
A purely visual mix-up. zumute ([t͡suˈmuːtə]) and zunutze ([t͡suˈnʊt͡sə]) 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 57987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zumute is recorded at frequency rank #27,585, classified as anadv, pronounced [t͡suˈmuːtə]. zunutze is at rank #30,402, tagged as anadv, pronounced [t͡suˈnʊt͡sə].
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 57987, this pair ranks #879,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zumute vs zunutze
Shared letters: etuz. Private to "zumute": m. Private to "zunutze": n.
"zumute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "zunutze" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zumute" and "zunutze" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zumute" or "zunutze" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zumute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zunutze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #879,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zumute" and "zunutze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zünfte vs zunutze". 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 #879,986 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.