Which to use
“wachsam” is an adjective and “wachse” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,831
- “wachsam” frequency rank
- #39,127
- “wachse” frequency rank
- 64958
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachsam | wachse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geschehnisse aufmerksam verfolgend | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wachsen |
Where the eye mixes wachsam and wachse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wachsam runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against wachse's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: wachsam vs wachse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wachsam is [ˈvaxˌzaːm] while wachse is [ˈvaksə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64958, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wachsam is recorded at frequency rank #25,831, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaxˌzaːm]. wachse is at rank #39,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaksə].
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 64958, this pair ranks #623,410 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wachsam vs wachse
Shared letters: achsw. Private to "wachsam": m. Private to "wachse": e.
"wachsam" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "wachse" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wachsam" and "wachse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "wachsam" vs "wachse" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wachsam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wachse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #623,410 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wachsam" and "wachse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Wachau vs wachse". 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 #623,410 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.