Which to use
“Walze” is a noun and “wälzen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,133
- “Walze” frequency rank
- #35,564
- “wälzen” frequency rank
- 74697
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Walze | wälzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | runder und sehr breiter, sehr schwerer Maschinenteil der Dampfwalze oder Straßenwalze, der vorn angenietet wird und dessen Einsatz im Straßenbau vorkommt, um Kies und andere kleine Steine zu zerdrücken und so die Oberfläche zu glätten | eine Sache mit Kraft drücken und schieben, indem sie sich dreht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Walze and wälzen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Walze is [ˈvalt͡sə] while wälzen is [ˈvɛlt͡sn̩]. 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 74697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Walze is recorded at frequency rank #39,133, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvalt͡sə]. wälzen is at rank #35,564, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛlt͡sn̩].
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 74697, this pair ranks #326,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Walze vs wälzen
Shared letters: elwz. Private to "Walze": a. Private to "wälzen": nä.
"Walze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "wälzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Walze ← awlze · walez · wallze · walzze · wazle · wlaze · wwalze
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Walze" and "wälzen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Walze" or "wälzen"?
Remembering Walze vs wälzen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Walze”; for a verb, it's “wälzen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Walze” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable