ziehen

[ˈt͡siːən]

/[ˈt͡siːən]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“ziehen” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #771 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#771
frequency rank, German
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mit Anwendung von Kraft hinter sich her oder auf sich zu bewegen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ziehen vs zieht
67% similar
ziehen vs Ziele
50% similar
ziehen vs Zinsen
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ziehen
PropertyValue
Headwordziehen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈt͡siːən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#771
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ziehen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ziehen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for ziehen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈt͡siːən]. Corpus data places it at rank #771 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ziehen, with forms such as "izehen", "zeihen", and "zieehn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "zieht", "Ziele", "Zinsen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is ziehen, spelled Z-I-E-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit Anwendung von Kraft hinter sich her oder auf sich zu bewegen
  2. 2
    entnehmen
  3. 3
    an Pfeife, Zigarette und so weiter saugen
  4. 4
    malen, zeichnen
  5. 5
    mit/in heißem Wasser zubereiten; ein Nahrungsmittel (beispielsweise Fleisch) in einer gewürzten Flüssigkeit, in der Regel mit Öl, einlegen und ruhen lassen
  6. 6
    kultivieren
  7. 7
    den Ort wechseln
  8. 8
    eine Spielfigur bewegen
  9. 9
    Wurzeln ziehen
  10. 10
    (Konsequenzen, Schlüsse und so weiter) bilden und entsprechend handeln
  11. 11
    „Es zieht“ = Es herrscht ein Luftzug.
  12. 12
    „Es zieht“ = Schmerzen haben
  13. 13
    dauern
  14. 14
    entwenden, stehlen
  15. 15
    herunterladen einer Datei
  16. 16
    eine Handfeuerwaffe aus einem Holster/Gürtel holen und auf jemanden richten
  17. 17
    sich in eine Richtung bewegen, sich irgendwohin bewegen
  18. 18
    ein Kabel oder eine Stromleitung unterirdisch in einen Schacht oder in einen Graben legen und anschließen (=verdrahten); ein Kabel oder eine Stromleitung in/an einer Wand befestigen und anschließen
  19. 19
    ungestört gehen, vom Schalenwild
  20. 20
    einen Wechsel ausstellen

Synonyms

schleppenzerrenreißennehmenZugzeichnenauslaugenköchelnanbauenhaltenhälternkultivierenmästenzüchtenwandernführenverlegenverkabelnwechselntrassieren

Antonyms

drückenschieben

This word in other languages

pull(English)tirar(Español)tirer(Français)tirar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: izehen,zeihen,zieehn,ziehenn,ziehhen,ziehne,ziheen,zziehen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ziehen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

izehen2zeihen2zieehn2ziehenn1ziehhen1ziehne2ziheen2zziehen1
Edit distance from "ziehen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ziehen"?
"ziehen" is spelled Z-I-E-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡siːən].
What does "ziehen" mean?
As a verb, "ziehen" means: mit Anwendung von Kraft hinter sich her oder auf sich zu bewegen
What words are commonly confused with "ziehen"?
"ziehen" is commonly confused with "zieht", "Ziele", "Zinsen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ziehen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ziehen" is [ˈt͡siːən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ziehen" come from?
"ziehen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “ziehen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-I-E-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈt͡siːən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “zieht” - see the side-by-side comparison. ziehen vs zieht
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list