wachsevswichstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“wachse” and “wichst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#39,127
“wachse” frequency rank
#45,699
“wichst” frequency rank
84826
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wachse wichst
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wachsen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wichsen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wachse and wichst apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
wachse
6 ch
wichst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wachse ([ˈvaksə]) and wichst ([vɪkst]) 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 84826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wachse is recorded at frequency rank #39,127, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaksə]. wichst is at rank #45,699, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪkst].

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 84826, this pair ranks #117,639 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of wachse vs wichst

Shared letters: chsw. Private to "wachse": ae. Private to "wichst": it.

"wachse" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "wichst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wachseawchse · wacchse · waches · wachhse · wachsse · wacshe · wahcse · wcahse
  • wichstiwchst · wcihst · wicchst · wichhst · wichsst · wichstt · wichts · wihcst

Frequency comparison

wachse#39,127
wichst#45,699

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wachse" and "wichst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvaksə] versus [vɪkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wachse" or "wichst"?
"wachse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,127 in our German list, against #45,699 for "wichst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wachse vs wichst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wachse” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list