Which to use
“wach” and “wahr” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,867
- “wach” frequency rank
- #1,376
- “wahr” frequency rank
- 4243
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wach | wahr |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafend, bereits aus dem Schlaf erwacht oder noch nicht eingeschlafen | der Wahrheit, Wirklichkeit, den Tatsachen entsprechend; wirklich geschehen, nicht ausgedacht oder erfunden |
Where the eye mixes wach and wahr
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses wach with wahr
A purely visual mix-up. wach ([vax]) and wahr ([vaːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4243, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wach is recorded at frequency rank #2,867, classified as anadj, pronounced [vax]. wahr is at rank #1,376, tagged as anadj, pronounced [vaːɐ̯].
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 4243, this pair ranks #1,998,200 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wach vs wahr
Shared letters: ahw. Private to "wach": c. Private to "wahr": r.
"wach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "wahr" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wach" and "wahr" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "wach" or "wahr"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wahr" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,200 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wach" and "wahr" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wach vs witch". 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 #1,998,200 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.