Which to use
“zurückgehen” and “zurücklegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,157
- “zurückgehen” frequency rank
- #21,137
- “zurücklegen” frequency rank
- 32294
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückgehen | zurücklegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Punkt, von dem man aufgebrochen ist, wieder aufsuchen | eine Strecke bewältigen, durchmessen |
Where the eye mixes zurückgehen and zurücklegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. zurückgehen and zurücklegen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between zurückgehen and zurücklegen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückgehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən]) and zurücklegen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːɡn̩]) 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 32294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückgehen is recorded at frequency rank #11,157, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən]. zurücklegen is at rank #21,137, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːɡn̩].
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 32294, this pair ranks #1,710,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zurückgehen vs zurücklegen
Shared letters: cegknruzü. Private to "zurückgehen": h. Private to "zurücklegen": l.
"zurückgehen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurücklegen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückgehen" and "zurücklegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zurückgehen" or "zurücklegen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückgehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücklegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,710,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückgehen" and "zurücklegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücklegen vs zurückzulegen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,710,717 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.