Which to use
“zurücknehmen” and “zurückzunehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,803
- “zurücknehmen” frequency rank
- #36,143
- “zurückzunehmen” frequency rank
- 59946
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurücknehmen | zurückzunehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas wieder annehmen, was man schon einmal hatte, wieder in Besitz nehmen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs zurücknehmen |
Where the eye mixes zurücknehmen and zurückzunehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. zurücknehmen runs 12 letters (CVCVCCCVCCVC) against zurückzunehmen's 14 (CVCVCCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zurücknehmen and zurückzunehmen
A purely visual mix-up. zurücknehmen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌneːmən]) and zurückzunehmen ([t͡suˈʁʏkt͡suˌneːmən]) 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 59946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurücknehmen is recorded at frequency rank #23,803, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌneːmən]. zurückzunehmen is at rank #36,143, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkt͡suˌneːmən].
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 59946, this pair ranks #805,436 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurücknehmen vs zurückzunehmen
Shared letters: cehkmnruzü. Private to "zurücknehmen": -. Private to "zurückzunehmen": -.
"zurücknehmen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurückzunehmen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurücknehmen" and "zurückzunehmen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zurücknehmen" or "zurückzunehmen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurücknehmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückzunehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #805,436 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurücknehmen" and "zurückzunehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurücklehnen vs zurücknehmen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #805,436 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.