Which to use
“wachen” and “wachte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,970
- “wachen” frequency rank
- #30,862
- “wachte” frequency rank
- 41832
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachen | wachte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafen, ohne Schlaf bleiben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wachen |
Where the eye mixes wachen and wachte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wachen (CVCCVC) and wachte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: wachen vs wachte
A purely visual mix-up. wachen ([ˈvaxn̩]) and wachte ([ˈvaxtə]) 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 41832, 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]. wachte is at rank #30,862, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaxtə].
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 41832, this pair ranks #1,467,716 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wachen vs wachte
Shared letters: acehw. Private to "wachen": n. Private to "wachte": t.
"wachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wachte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wachen" and "wachte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "wachen" vs "wachte" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wachte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,467,716 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wachen" and "wachte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wachte vs waste". 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 #1,467,716 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.