Which to use
“wachen” and “wichsen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,970
- “wachen” frequency rank
- #14,997
- “wichsen” frequency rank
- 25967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachen | wichsen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht schlafen, ohne Schlaf bleiben | Leder mit Schuhcreme oder einem Lederfett einreiben (Schuhe oder Lederwaren) |
Where the eye mixes wachen and wichsen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wachen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against wichsen's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between wachen and wichsen
A purely visual mix-up. wachen ([ˈvaxn̩]) and wichsen ([ˈvɪksn̩]) 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 25967, 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]. wichsen is at rank #14,997, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪksn̩].
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 25967, this pair ranks #1,825,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wachen vs wichsen
Shared letters: cehnw. Private to "wachen": a. Private to "wichsen": is.
"wachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wichsen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wachen" and "wichsen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "wachen" or "wichsen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wichsen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,825,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wachen" and "wichsen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wichsen vs wichst". 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 #1,825,260 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.