Which to use
“wachsen” is a verb and “wachsende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,868
- “wachsen” frequency rank
- #8,156
- “wachsende” frequency rank
- 11024
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wachsen | wachsende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | allmählich größer werden; von der Größe, vom Umfang her zunehmen | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs wachsend |
Where the eye mixes wachsen and wachsende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. wachsen runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against wachsende's 9 (CVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: wachsen vs wachsende
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wachsen is [ˈvaksn̩] while wachsende is [ˈvaksn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “wachsen” sits inside “wachsende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11024, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wachsen is recorded at frequency rank #2,868, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaksn̩]. wachsende is at rank #8,156, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaksn̩də].
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 11024, this pair ranks #1,972,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wachsen vs wachsende
Shared letters: acehnsw. Private to "wachsen": -. Private to "wachsende": d.
"wachsen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "wachsende" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wachsen" for "wachsende" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "wachsen" or "wachsende" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wachsen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wachsende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wachsen" and "wachsende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wachsende vs wachsendes". 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 #1,972,095 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.