waltzvswantsWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#35,544
“waltz” frequency rank
#49,376
“wants” frequency rank
84920
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature waltz wants
Definition langsamer Gesellschaftstanz im Dreivierteltakt; English Waltz, langsamer Walzer 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs want

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
waltz
5 ch
wants

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: waltz is anoun and wantsaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

waltz is recorded at frequency rank #35,544, classified as anoun, pronounced [valt͡s]. wants is at rank #49,376, tagged as averb, pronounced […].

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 84920, this pair ranks #116,165 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of waltz vs wants

Shared letters: atw. Private to "waltz": lz. Private to "wants": ns.

"waltz" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "wants" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • waltzawltz · walltz · walttz · waltzz · walzt · watlz · wlatz · wwaltz
  • wantsawnts · wannts · wanst · wantss · wantts · watns · wnats · wwants

Frequency comparison

waltz#35,544
wants#49,376

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "waltz" and "wants" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "waltz" is a noun and "wants" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "waltz" or "wants"?
"waltz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,544 in our German list, against #49,376 for "wants". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering waltz vs wants

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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