warfenvswürfelnWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“warfen” and “würfeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,980
“warfen” frequency rank
#22,577
“würfeln” frequency rank
36557
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature warfen würfeln
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs werfen mit einem Würfel spielen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set warfen and würfeln apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
warfen
7 ch
würfeln

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. warfen ([ˈvaʁfn̩]) and würfeln ([ˈvʏʁfl̩n]) 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 36557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

warfen is recorded at frequency rank #13,980, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaʁfn̩]. würfeln is at rank #22,577, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁfl̩n].

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 36557, this pair ranks #1,612,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of warfen vs würfeln

Shared letters: efnrw. Private to "warfen": a. Private to "würfeln": .

"warfen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "würfeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • warfenawrfen · wafren · warefn · warfenn · warffen · warfne · warrfen · wrafen

Frequency comparison

warfen#13,980
würfeln#22,577

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "warfen" and "würfeln" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvaʁfn̩] versus [ˈvʏʁfl̩n]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "warfen" or "würfeln"?
"warfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,980 in our German list, against #22,577 for "würfeln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering warfen vs würfeln

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “warfen” 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