Which to use
“wait” and “write” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,121
- “wait” frequency rank
- #38,531
- “write” frequency rank
- 58652
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wait | write |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | warten, abwarten | (Symbole, Buchstaben, Wörter) auf einer Fläche zeichnen, formen, zum Beispiel mit einem Bleistift |
Where the eye mixes wait and write
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses wait with write
A purely visual mix-up. wait ([weɪt]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58652, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wait is recorded at frequency rank #20,121, classified as averb, pronounced [weɪt]. 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 58652, this pair ranks #854,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wait vs write
Shared letters: itw. Private to "wait": a. Private to "write": er.
"wait" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wait" for "write" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wait" vs "write" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wait" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "write" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #854,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wait" and "write" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "write vs writer". 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 #854,474 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.