Which to use
“zweifeln” is a verb and “zweiten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,309
- “zweifeln” frequency rank
- #424
- “zweiten” frequency rank
- 9733
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zweifeln | zweiten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zweifeln ausgesetzt sein, sich nicht recht entscheiden können und unsicher sein | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs zweite |
Where the eye mixes zweifeln and zweiten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zweifeln runs 8 letters (CCVVCVCC) against zweiten's 7 (CCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zweifeln with zweiten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zweifeln is [ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩n] while zweiten is [ˈt͡svaɪ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zweifeln is recorded at frequency rank #9,309, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩n]. zweiten is at rank #424, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡svaɪ̯tn̩].
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 9733, this pair ranks #1,978,556 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zweifeln vs zweiten
Shared letters: einwz. Private to "zweifeln": fl. Private to "zweiten": t.
"zweifeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC · "zweiten" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zweifeln" and "zweiten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zweifeln" or "zweiten" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zweifeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zweiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,978,556 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zweifeln" and "zweiten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zweifeln vs zweifelte". 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 #1,978,556 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.