Which to use
“zurückhaltend” and “zurückhaltende” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,747
- “zurückhaltend” frequency rank
- #44,391
- “zurückhaltende” frequency rank
- 58138
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückhaltend | zurückhaltende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich nicht in den Vordergrund drängend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zurückhaltend |
Where the eye mixes zurückhaltend and zurückhaltende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. zurückhaltend runs 13 letters (CVCVCCCVCCVCC) against zurückhaltende's 14 (CVCVCCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zurückhaltend and zurückhaltende
A purely visual mix-up. zurückhaltend ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩t]) and zurückhaltende ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩də]) 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 extra letter(s) - “zurückhaltend” sits inside “zurückhaltende”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückhaltend is recorded at frequency rank #13,747, classified as anadj, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩t]. zurückhaltende is at rank #44,391, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩də].
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 58138, this pair ranks #874,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückhaltend vs zurückhaltende
Shared letters: acdehklnrtuzü. Private to "zurückhaltend": -. Private to "zurückhaltende": -.
"zurückhaltend" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVCC · "zurückhaltende" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückhaltend" and "zurückhaltende" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "zurückhaltend" or "zurückhaltende" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückhaltend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückhaltende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #874,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückhaltend" and "zurückhaltende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückhaltende vs zurückhaltender". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #874,282 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.