wächst vs wichst, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,751
“wächst” frequency rank: #45,699
“wichst” frequency rank: 48450
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	wächst	wichst
Definition	2. 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 wächst and wichst apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

wächst

6 ch

wichst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wächst ([vɛkst]) 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 differ by a single letter - ä in “wächst” becomes i in “wichst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wächst is recorded at frequency rank #2,751, classified as averb, pronounced [vɛkst]. 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 48450, this pair ranks #1,248,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wächst vs wichst

Shared letters: chstw. Private to "wächst": ä. Private to "wichst": i.

"wächst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "wichst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

wichst ← iwchst · wcihst · wicchst · wichhst · wichsst · wichstt · wichts · wihcst

Frequency comparison

wächst#2,751

wichst#45,699

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wächst" and "wichst" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([vɛkst] versus [vɪkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "wächst" or "wichst"?

"wächst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,751 in our German list, against #45,699 for "wichst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering wächst 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 “wächst” entry
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