zurückgehtvszurückkehrtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“zurückgeht” and “zurückkehrt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,448
“zurückgeht” frequency rank
#17,195
“zurückkehrt” frequency rank
35643
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zurückgeht zurückkehrt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückgehen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückkehren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zurückgeht and zurückkehrt apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
zurückgeht
11 ch
zurückkehrt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zurückgeht ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːt]) and zurückkehrt ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t]) 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 35643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zurückgeht is recorded at frequency rank #18,448, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːt]. zurückkehrt is at rank #17,195, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t].

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 35643, this pair ranks #1,635,092 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zurückgeht vs zurückkehrt

Shared letters: cehkrtuzü. Private to "zurückgeht": g. Private to "zurückkehrt": -.

"zurückgeht" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "zurückkehrt" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

zurückgeht#18,448
zurückkehrt#17,195

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zurückgeht" and "zurückkehrt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːt] versus [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zurückgeht" or "zurückkehrt"?
"zurückkehrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,195 in our German list, against #18,448 for "zurückgeht". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zurückgeht vs zurückkehrt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zurückgeht” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list