Which to use
“zuweilen” is an adverb and “zuwenden” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,294
- “zuweilen” frequency rank
- #30,405
- “zuwenden” frequency rank
- 43699
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zuweilen | zuwenden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu bestimmten Zeiten, aber nicht regelmäßig; für eine Weile und später wieder für eine Weile | den Kopf/Körper in Richtung auf etwas/jemanden hinwenden |
Where the eye mixes zuweilen and zuwenden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zuweilen (CVCVVCVC) and zuwenden (CVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses zuweilen with zuwenden
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zuweilen is [t͡suˈvaɪ̯lən] while zuwenden is [ˈt͡suːˌvɛndn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43699, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zuweilen is recorded at frequency rank #13,294, classified as anadv, pronounced [t͡suˈvaɪ̯lən]. zuwenden is at rank #30,405, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌvɛndn̩].
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 43699, this pair ranks #1,409,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zuweilen vs zuwenden
Shared letters: enuwz. Private to "zuweilen": il. Private to "zuwenden": d.
"zuweilen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "zuwenden" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zuweilen" for "zuwenden" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zuweilen" vs "zuwenden" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zuweilen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zuwenden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,409,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zuweilen" and "zuwenden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zuweisen vs zuwenden". 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 #1,409,744 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.