Which to use
“zurücklehnen” and “zurücknehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,399
- “zurücklehnen” frequency rank
- #23,803
- “zurücknehmen” frequency rank
- 55202
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurücklehnen | zurücknehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas/sich nach hinten lehnen | etwas wieder annehmen, was man schon einmal hatte, wieder in Besitz nehmen |
Where the eye mixes zurücklehnen and zurücknehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurücklehnen 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 zurücklehnen and zurücknehmen
A purely visual mix-up. zurücklehnen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən]) 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 55202, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurücklehnen is recorded at frequency rank #31,399, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌleːnən]. 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 55202, this pair ranks #988,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurücklehnen vs zurücknehmen
Shared letters: cehknruzü. Private to "zurücklehnen": l. Private to "zurücknehmen": m.
"zurücklehnen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurücknehmen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zurücklehnen" and "zurücknehmen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zurücklehnen" or "zurücknehmen" 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 "zurücklehnen" 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 #988,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurücklehnen" and "zurücknehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücknehmen vs zurückzunehmen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #988,753 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.