wählenvswalletWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#984
“wählen” frequency rank
#33,901
“wallet” frequency rank
34885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wählen wallet
Definition sich für eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten entscheiden 2. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wallen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wählen
6 ch
wallet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wählen ([ˈvɛːlən]) and wallet ([ˈvalət]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wählen is recorded at frequency rank #984, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛːlən]. wallet is at rank #33,901, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvalət].

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 34885, this pair ranks #1,653,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wählen vs wallet

Shared letters: elw. Private to "wählen": hnä. Private to "wallet": at.

"wählen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "wallet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • walletawllet · walelt · walet · wallett · wallte · wlalet · wwallet

Frequency comparison

wählen#984
wallet#33,901

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wählen" and "wallet" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛːlən] versus [ˈvalət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wählen" or "wallet"?
"wählen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #984 in our German list, against #33,901 for "wallet". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering wählen vs wallet

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 “wählen” 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