Which to use
“zurücklegen” and “zurücklehnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,137
- “zurücklegen” frequency rank
- #31,399
- “zurücklehnen” frequency rank
- 52536
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurücklegen | zurücklehnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Strecke bewältigen, durchmessen | etwas/sich nach hinten lehnen |
Where the eye mixes zurücklegen and zurücklehnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurücklegen runs 11 letters (CVCVCCCVCVC) against zurücklehnen's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zurücklegen with zurücklehnen
A purely visual mix-up. zurücklegen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːɡn̩]) and zurücklehnen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən]) 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 52536, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurücklegen is recorded at frequency rank #21,137, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːɡn̩]. zurücklehnen is at rank #31,399, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən].
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 52536, this pair ranks #1,092,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurücklegen vs zurücklehnen
Shared letters: ceklnruzü. Private to "zurücklegen": g. Private to "zurücklehnen": h.
"zurücklegen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurücklehnen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zurücklegen" for "zurücklehnen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zurücklegen" or "zurücklehnen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücklegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücklehnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,092,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurücklegen" and "zurücklehnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücklegen vs zurückzulegen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,092,931 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.