Which to use
“wagten” and “wandten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,900
- “wagten” frequency rank
- #27,565
- “wandten” frequency rank
- 61465
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wagten | wandten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wagen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wenden |
Where the eye mixes wagten and wandten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wagten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against wandten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses wagten with wandten
A purely visual mix-up. wagten ([ˈvaːktn̩]) and wandten ([ˈvantn̩]) 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 61465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wagten is recorded at frequency rank #33,900, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaːktn̩]. wandten is at rank #27,565, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvantn̩].
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 61465, this pair ranks #748,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wagten vs wandten
Shared letters: aentw. Private to "wagten": g. Private to "wandten": d.
"wagten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wandten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wagten" and "wandten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wagten" or "wandten"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wagten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wandten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #748,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wagten" and "wandten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wagten vs waste". 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 #748,741 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.