WählervswähltenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Wähler is a noun, wählten is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Wähler” is a noun and “wählten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,478
“Wähler” frequency rank
#14,468
“wählten” frequency rank
16946
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wähler wählten
Definition Person, die aktiv an einer Wahl teilnimmt/teilnahm 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wählen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Wähler
7 ch
wählten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Wähler is [ˈvɛːlɐ] while wählten is [ˈvɛːltn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wähler is recorded at frequency rank #2,478, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛːlɐ]. wählten is at rank #14,468, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛːltn̩].

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 16946, this pair ranks #1,931,681 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Wähler vs wählten

Shared letters: ehlwä. Private to "Wähler": r. Private to "wählten": nt.

"Wähler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "wählten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

Wähler#2,478
wählten#14,468

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wähler" and "wählten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Wähler" is a noun and "wählten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Wähler" or "wählten"?
"Wähler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,478 in our German list, against #14,468 for "wählten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wähler vs wählten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Wähler”; for a verb, it's “wählten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Wähler” 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