Which to use
“zurückdrehen” and “zurückziehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,659
- “zurückdrehen” frequency rank
- #10,207
- “zurückziehen” frequency rank
- 53866
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückdrehen | zurückziehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas wieder in oder in Richtung seiner Ausgangsposition drehen | jemanden oder etwas in die Richtung ziehen, aus der er oder es kam; nach hinten ziehen |
Where the eye mixes zurückdrehen and zurückziehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückdrehen (CVCVCCCCVCVC) and zurückziehen (CVCVCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses zurückdrehen with zurückziehen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückdrehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌdʁeːən]) and zurückziehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌt͡siːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückdrehen is recorded at frequency rank #43,659, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌdʁeːən]. zurückziehen is at rank #10,207, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌt͡siːən].
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 53866, this pair ranks #1,041,288 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückdrehen vs zurückziehen
Shared letters: cehknruzü. Private to "zurückdrehen": d. Private to "zurückziehen": i.
"zurückdrehen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCVC · "zurückziehen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückdrehen" and "zurückziehen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zurückdrehen" vs "zurückziehen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückdrehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückziehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,041,288 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückdrehen" and "zurückziehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückdrehen vs zurücktreten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,041,288 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.