Which to use
“zünden” and “zündet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,788
- “zünden” frequency rank
- #24,221
- “zündet” frequency rank
- 42009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zünden | zündet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas in Brand stecken oder einen Verbrennungsprozess in Gang setzen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zünden |
Where the eye mixes zünden and zündet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zünden and zündet follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between zünden and zündet
A purely visual mix-up. zünden ([ˈt͡sʏndn̩]) and zündet ([ˈt͡sʏndət]) 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 a single letter - n in “zünden” becomes t in “zündet”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zünden is recorded at frequency rank #17,788, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sʏndn̩]. zündet is at rank #24,221, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sʏndət].
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 42009, this pair ranks #1,462,362 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zünden vs zündet
Shared letters: denzü. Private to "zünden": -. Private to "zündet": t.
"zünden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "zündet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zünden" for "zündet" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zünden" or "zündet"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zünden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zündet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,462,362 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zünden" and "zündet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zünden vs zupfen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,462,362 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.