wagtevswriteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,464
“wagte” frequency rank
#38,531
“write” frequency rank
55995
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wagte write
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wagen (Symbole, Buchstaben, Wörter) auf einer Fläche zeichnen, formen, zum Beispiel mit einem Bleistift

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wagte and write apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
wagte
5 ch
write

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wagte ([ˈvaːktə]) and write ([ɹaɪt]) 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 55995, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wagte is recorded at frequency rank #17,464, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaːktə]. write is at rank #38,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɹaɪt].

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 55995, this pair ranks #957,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wagte vs write

Shared letters: etw. Private to "wagte": ag. Private to "write": ir.

"wagte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wagteawgte · waget · waggte · wagtte · watge · wgate · wwagte
  • writerwite · wriet · writte · wrrite · wrtie · wwrite

Frequency comparison

wagte#17,464
write#38,531

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wagte" and "write" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvaːktə] versus [ɹaɪt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wagte" or "write"?
"wagte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,464 in our German list, against #38,531 for "write". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wagte vs write

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 “wagte” 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