Which to use
“zurückkehren” and “zurücknehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,791
- “zurückkehren” frequency rank
- #23,803
- “zurücknehmen” frequency rank
- 29594
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückkehren | zurücknehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wieder an den Ausgangspunkt gehen | etwas wieder annehmen, was man schon einmal hatte, wieder in Besitz nehmen |
Where the eye mixes zurückkehren and zurücknehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückkehren and zurücknehmen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between zurückkehren and zurücknehmen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückkehren ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən]) and zurücknehmen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌneːmən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29594, 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]. zurücknehmen is at rank #23,803, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌneːmən].
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 29594, this pair ranks #1,763,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zurückkehren vs zurücknehmen
Shared letters: cehknruzü. Private to "zurückkehren": -. Private to "zurücknehmen": m.
"zurückkehren" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurücknehmen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zurückkehren" for "zurücknehmen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zurückkehren" or "zurücknehmen"?
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 "zurückkehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücknehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,763,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückkehren" and "zurücknehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücknehmen vs zurückzunehmen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,763,927 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.