Czech vs German: 250 Words That Are Nearly Identical

Czech vs German: 250 Words That Are Nearly Identical: the list

Tips

• German capitalizes nouns and Czech does not, as in Czech doktor versus German Doktor, so don't let the capital letter distract you when you meet the word in a German text.
• German ä often lines up with a Czech á, é or e: compare kapitán / kapitän, démon / dämon and prezident / präsident, so knowing one form usually lets you guess the other.
• A Czech final -a frequently matches a German final -e: dáma / dame, bomba / bombe and idea / idee all follow that pattern, which is a quick check when you can't recall an ending.
• Czech c often corresponds to German z, as in princ / prinz, centrum / zentrum and policista / polizist; the pair univerzita / universität runs the other way, with Czech z against German s.
• Similar spelling does not guarantee identical usage, register or grammar, so treat these pairs as a head start on meaning and form rather than a promise that the words behave the same way in a sentence.
• Moving from German into Czech, expect umlauts and doubled consonants to disappear (programm becomes program, rolle becomes role); moving the other way, expect to add them back and capitalize the noun.

Frequently asked questions

Do these pairs always mean exactly the same thing in both languages?

Each pair shares the same English meaning and a very similar spelling, but check a dictionary before assuming the two words are interchangeable, since close spelling does not guarantee the same nuance or grammatical behaviour.

How does Vocab Voyage help me learn these words?

You study them as flashcards: an English prompt appears, you type the Czech word, and spaced repetition brings the pairs you find difficult back more often. Missing accents are forgiven.

Do I need a credit card or a password to start?

No. Signing up takes only an email address — no card and no password — so you can start reviewing the Czech–German pairs right away.

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