Which to use
“zurückgehen” and “zurückziehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,157
- “zurückgehen” frequency rank
- #10,207
- “zurückziehen” frequency rank
- 21364
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückgehen | zurückziehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Punkt, von dem man aufgebrochen ist, wieder aufsuchen | jemanden oder etwas in die Richtung ziehen, aus der er oder es kam; nach hinten ziehen |
Where the eye mixes zurückgehen and zurückziehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückgehen runs 11 letters (CVCVCCCVCVC) against zurückziehen's 12 (CVCVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zurückgehen with zurückziehen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückgehen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːən]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21364, 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]. 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 21364, this pair ranks #1,887,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zurückgehen vs zurückziehen
Shared letters: cehknruzü. Private to "zurückgehen": g. Private to "zurückziehen": i.
"zurückgehen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurückziehen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zurückgehen" and "zurückziehen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "zurückgehen" vs "zurückziehen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "zurückziehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,887,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückgehen" and "zurückziehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückdrehen vs zurückgehen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,887,147 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.