Zugzwang

/[ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ]/ noun

Letters

8 characters

Frequency Rank

#49,420

in German word usage

Misspellings

13

tracked variants

Confusables

1

similar word pairs

Zugzwang is aGermannoun. It means: Zwang, einen Zug ausführen zu müssen, wenn sich dieser negativ auf das eigene Spiel auswirken wird Pronounced [ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ]. Often confused with Zugang.

Key facts for Zugzwang
PropertyValue
HeadwordZugzwang
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ]
Letters8
Frequency rank#49,420
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Zugzwang in German word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Zugzwang is 8 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ]. Corpus data places it at rank #49,420 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 13 documented wrong-spelling variants for Zugzwang, with forms such as "uzgzwang", "zguzwang", and "zuggzwang". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Zugang", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is Zugzwang, spelled Z-U-G-Z-W-A-N-G, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Zwang, einen Zug ausführen zu müssen, wenn sich dieser negativ auf das eigene Spiel auswirken wird
  2. 2
    der Zwang, etwas zu tun zu müssen, eine Entscheidung zu fällen; diese Handlung muss aber nicht zwangsläufig benachteiligende Folgen haben

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: uzgzwang,zguzwang,zuggzwang,zugwzang,zugzawng,zugzwagn,zugzwangg,zugzwanng,zugzwnag,zugzwwang,zugzzwang,zuzgwang,zzugzwang

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Zugzwang

Misspelling Variants of "Zugzwang"

uzgzwang8zguzwang8zuggzwang9zugwzang8zugzawng8zugzwagn8zugzwangg9zugzwanng9
Misspelling Variants of "Zugzwang"

Frequency rank: #49,420 in German

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Zugzwang"?
"Zugzwang" is spelled Z-U-G-Z-W-A-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ].
What does "Zugzwang" mean?
As a noun, "Zugzwang" means: Zwang, einen Zug ausführen zu müssen, wenn sich dieser negativ auf das eigene Spiel auswirken wird
What words are commonly confused with "Zugzwang"?
"Zugzwang" is commonly confused with "Zugang". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Zugzwang"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zugzwang" is [ˈt͡suːkˌt͡svaŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zugzwang" come from?
"Zugzwang" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter Z in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.