Which to use
“wachen” and “wachsen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,970
- “wachen” frequency rank
- #2,868
- “wachsen” frequency rank
- 13838
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachen | wachsen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafen, ohne Schlaf bleiben | allmählich größer werden; von der Größe, vom Umfang her zunehmen |
Where the eye mixes wachen and wachsen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. wachen ([ˈvaxn̩]) and wachsen ([ˈvaksn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wachen is recorded at frequency rank #10,970, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaxn̩]. wachsen is at rank #2,868, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaksn̩].
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 13838, this pair ranks #1,955,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wachen vs wachsen
Shared letters: acehnw. Private to "wachen": -. Private to "wachsen": s.
"wachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wachsen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC