Which to use
“zurückgehen” and “zurücklehnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,157
- “zurückgehen” frequency rank
- #31,399
- “zurücklehnen” frequency rank
- 42556
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückgehen | zurücklehnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Punkt, von dem man aufgebrochen ist, wieder aufsuchen | etwas/sich nach hinten lehnen |
Where the eye mixes zurückgehen and zurücklehnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückgehen runs 11 letters (CVCVCCCVCVC) against zurücklehnen's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zurückgehen with zurücklehnen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückgehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən]) and zurücklehnen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42556, 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]. zurücklehnen is at rank #31,399, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən].
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 42556, this pair ranks #1,445,726 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückgehen vs zurücklehnen
Shared letters: cehknruzü. Private to "zurückgehen": g. Private to "zurücklehnen": l.
"zurückgehen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurücklehnen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückgehen" and "zurücklehnen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zurückgehen" vs "zurücklehnen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zurückgehen" and "zurücklehnen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückgehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücklehnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,445,726 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückgehen" and "zurücklehnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücklehnen vs zurücknehmen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,445,726 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.