Which to use
“wale” and “waltz” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,369
- “wale” frequency rank
- #35,544
- “waltz” frequency rank
- 58913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wale | waltz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rippe, Salleiste, feste Webkante | langsamer Gesellschaftstanz im Dreivierteltakt; English Waltz, langsamer Walzer |
Letter map: wale vs waltz
Shared letters muted; letters that set wale and waltz apart highlighted. Shared run: 3. wale runs 4 letters (CVCV) against waltz's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Pair insight - wale / waltz
wale and waltz are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wale is recorded at frequency rank #23,369, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. waltz is at rank #35,544, tagged as anoun, pronounced [valt͡s].
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 58913, this pair ranks #844,541 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wale vs waltz
Shared letters: alw. Private to "wale": e. Private to "waltz": tz.
"wale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "waltz" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wale" for "waltz" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wale" vs "waltz" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "wale" and "waltz".
- Full dictionary entry for "wale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "waltz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #844,541 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wale" and "waltz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "waltz 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 #844,541 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.