Which to use
“wachen” and “warnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,970
- “wachen” frequency rank
- #6,129
- “warnen” frequency rank
- 17099
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachen | warnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafen, ohne Schlaf bleiben | jemanden auf eine Gefahr aufmerksam machen |
Where the eye mixes wachen and warnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: wachen vs warnen
A purely visual mix-up. wachen ([ˈvaxn̩]) and warnen ([ˈvaʁnən]) 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 17099, 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]. warnen is at rank #6,129, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaʁnən].
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 17099, this pair ranks #1,930,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wachen vs warnen
Shared letters: aenw. Private to "wachen": ch. Private to "warnen": r.
"wachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "warnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wachen" for "warnen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wachen" vs "warnen" - 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 "warnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,930,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wachen" and "warnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Wachau vs wachen". 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 #1,930,367 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.