zurückkehrenvszurückkehrtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,791
“zurückkehren” frequency rank
#17,195
“zurückkehrt” frequency rank
22986
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zurückkehren zurückkehrt
Definition wieder an den Ausgangspunkt gehen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückkehren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zurückkehren and zurückkehrt apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
zurückkehren
11 ch
zurückkehrt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zurückkehren ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən]) 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 22986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zurückkehren is recorded at frequency rank #5,791, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən]. 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 22986, this pair ranks #1,867,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zurückkehren vs zurückkehrt

Shared letters: cehkruzü. Private to "zurückkehren": n. Private to "zurückkehrt": t.

"zurückkehren" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "zurückkehrt" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

zurückkehren#5,791
zurückkehrt#17,195

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zurückkehren" and "zurückkehrt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən] versus [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zurückkehren" or "zurückkehrt"?
"zurückkehren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,791 in our German list, against #17,195 for "zurückkehrt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zurückkehren 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 “zurückkehren” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list