wackelnvsweckenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,192
“wackeln” frequency rank
#7,424
“wecken” frequency rank
31616
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wackeln wecken
Definition sich hin und her neigen jemanden aus dem Schlaf holen, wach machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wackeln and wecken apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
wackeln
6 ch
wecken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wackeln ([ˈvakl̩n]) and wecken ([ˈvɛkn̩]) 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 31616, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wackeln is recorded at frequency rank #24,192, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvakl̩n]. wecken is at rank #7,424, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛkn̩].

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 31616, this pair ranks #1,724,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wackeln vs wecken

Shared letters: ceknw. Private to "wackeln": al. Private to "wecken": -.

"wackeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "wecken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wackelnawckeln · wacckeln · wacekln · wackelln · wackelnn · wackenl · wackkeln · wacklen
  • weckenewcken · wceken · weccken · wecekn · weckenn · weckken · weckne · wekcen

Frequency comparison

wackeln#24,192
wecken#7,424

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wackeln" and "wecken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvakl̩n] versus [ˈvɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wackeln" or "wecken"?
"wecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,424 in our German list, against #24,192 for "wackeln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wackeln vs wecken

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 “wackeln” 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