Which to use
“währen” is a verb and “when” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,465
- “währen” frequency rank
- #8,658
- “when” frequency rank
- 43123
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | währen | when |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich über eine Zeitspanne erstrecken | wann |
Where the eye mixes währen and when
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses währen with when
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: währen is [ˈvɛːʁən] while when is [wɛn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43123, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
währen is recorded at frequency rank #34,465, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛːʁən]. when is at rank #8,658, tagged as anadv, pronounced [wɛn].
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 43123, this pair ranks #1,427,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of währen vs when
Shared letters: ehnw. Private to "währen": rä. Private to "when": -.
"währen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "when" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- when ← hwen · wehn · whenn · whhen · whne · wwhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "währen" and "when" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "währen" or "when" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "währen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "when" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,427,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "währen" and "when" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "währen vs Warzen". 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 #1,427,942 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.