ZunahmevszunehmenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Zunahme is a noun, zunehmen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Zunahme” is a noun and “zunehmen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,839
“Zunahme” frequency rank
#13,291
“zunehmen” frequency rank
23130
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zunahme zunehmen
Definition der Vorgang, bei dem etwas in der Menge oder im Volumen zunimmt, anwächst größer werden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Zunahme and zunehmen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Zunahme
8 ch
zunehmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zunahme is [ˈt͡suːˌnaːmə] while zunehmen is [ˈt͡suːˌneːmən]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23130, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zunahme is recorded at frequency rank #9,839, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌnaːmə]. zunehmen is at rank #13,291, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌneːmən].

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 23130, this pair ranks #1,865,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Zunahme vs zunehmen

Shared letters: ehmnuz. Private to "Zunahme": a. Private to "zunehmen": -.

"Zunahme" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "zunehmen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zunahmeuznahme · znuahme · zuanhme · zunahem · zunahhme · zunahmme · zunamhe · zunhame
  • zunehmenuznehmen · znuehmen · zuenhmen · zunehemn · zunehhmen · zunehmenn · zunehmmen · zunehmne

Frequency comparison

Zunahme#9,839
zunehmen#13,291

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Zunahme" and "zunehmen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Zunahme" is a noun and "zunehmen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Zunahme" or "zunehmen"?
"Zunahme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,839 in our German list, against #13,291 for "zunehmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Zunahme vs zunehmen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Zunahme”; for a verb, it's “zunehmen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Zunahme” 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