Which to use
“zurückgeben” and “zurückgehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,008
- “zurückgeben” frequency rank
- #11,157
- “zurückgehen” frequency rank
- 23165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückgeben | zurückgehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Gegenstand wieder in den Besitz der Person geben, die den Gegenstand zuvor hatte, beziehungsweise wieder in den Besitz des Eigentümers geben | den Punkt, von dem man aufgebrochen ist, wieder aufsuchen |
Where the eye mixes zurückgeben and zurückgehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückgeben and zurückgehen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: zurückgeben vs zurückgehen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückgeben ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːbn̩]) and zurückgehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən]) 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 - b in “zurückgeben” becomes h in “zurückgehen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückgeben is recorded at frequency rank #12,008, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːbn̩]. zurückgehen is at rank #11,157, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən].
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 23165, this pair ranks #1,864,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zurückgeben vs zurückgehen
Shared letters: cegknruzü. Private to "zurückgeben": b. Private to "zurückgehen": h.
"zurückgeben" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurückgehen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zurückgeben" for "zurückgehen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zurückgeben" vs "zurückgehen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "zurückgeben" and "zurückgehen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückgeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückgehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,864,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückgeben" and "zurückgehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückdrehen vs zurückgehen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,864,945 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.