Which to use
“zurücklegen” and “zurückzulegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,137
- “zurücklegen” frequency rank
- #39,745
- “zurückzulegen” frequency rank
- 60882
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurücklegen | zurückzulegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Strecke bewältigen, durchmessen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs zurücklegen |
Where the eye mixes zurücklegen and zurückzulegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. zurücklegen runs 11 letters (CVCVCCCVCVC) against zurückzulegen's 13 (CVCVCCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zurücklegen with zurückzulegen
A purely visual mix-up. zurücklegen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːɡn̩]) and zurückzulegen ([t͡suˈʁʏkt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60882, 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]. zurückzulegen is at rank #39,745, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkt͡suˌleːɡn̩].
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 60882, this pair ranks #770,381 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurücklegen vs zurückzulegen
Shared letters: cegklnruzü. Private to "zurücklegen": -. Private to "zurückzulegen": -.
"zurücklegen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "zurückzulegen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurücklegen" and "zurückzulegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zurücklegen" vs "zurückzulegen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücklegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückzulegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #770,381 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurücklegen" and "zurückzulegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückzugeben vs zurückzulegen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #770,381 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.