ZusagevsZusatzWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Zusage” and “Zusatz” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,990
“Zusage” frequency rank
#8,814
“Zusatz” frequency rank
22804
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zusage Zusatz
Definition Versprechen in Bezug auf eine bestimmte Maßnahme etwas, das einem anderen hinzugefügt wurde oder wird

Where the eye mixes Zusage and Zusatz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Zusage
6 ch
Zusatz

Look-alike desk: Zusage vs Zusatz

A purely visual mix-up. Zusage ([ˈt͡suːˌzaːɡə]) and Zusatz ([ˈt͡suːˌzat͡s]) 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 22804, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zusage is recorded at frequency rank #13,990, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌzaːɡə]. Zusatz is at rank #8,814, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌzat͡s].

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 22804, this pair ranks #1,869,547 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Zusage vs Zusatz

Shared letters: asuz. Private to "Zusage": eg. Private to "Zusatz": t.

"Zusage" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "Zusatz" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Zusageuzsage · zsuage · zuasge · zusaeg · zusagge · zusgae · zussage · zzusage
  • Zusatzuzsatz · zsuatz · zuastz · zusattz · zusatzz · zusazt · zussatz · zustaz

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Zusage" for "Zusatz" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡suːˌzaːɡə] versus [ˈt͡suːˌzat͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Zusage" vs "Zusatz" - which ranks higher?
"Zusatz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,814 in our German list, against #13,990 for "Zusage". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Zusage" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Zusatz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,869,547 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Zusage" and "Zusatz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zulage vs Zusage". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,869,547 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list