Which to use
“wach” is an adjective and “wann” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,867
- “wach” frequency rank
- #592
- “wann” frequency rank
- 3459
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wach | wann |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafend, bereits aus dem Schlaf erwacht oder noch nicht eingeschlafen | zu welchem Zeitpunkt |
Where the eye mixes wach and wann
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wach is [vax] while wann is [van]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3459, 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]. wann is at rank #592, tagged as anadv, pronounced [van].
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 3459, this pair ranks #2,000,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wach vs wann
Shared letters: aw. Private to "wach": ch. Private to "wann": n.
"wach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "wann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC