Novel herbicidally active pyridylthio-acylanilides of the formula ##STR1## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, independently of one another, represent hydrogen, halogen, cyano or trifluoromethyl or alkyl, alkoxy and alkylthio having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each case,R.sup.4 represents halogen, methyl or methoxy,n represents a number 0, 1 or 2,z represents the group (Ia) ##STR2## or the group (Ib) ##STR3## where X represents oxygen, sulphur, an N--R.sup.10 or N--O--R.sup.11 group, or X and R.sup.g tpgether represent the ##STR4## radical, and the other radicals can have various meanings. Intermediates of the formulae ##STR5## are also new.