warstvsweistConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,092
“warst” frequency rank
#2,275
“weist” frequency rank
5367
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature warst weist
Definition 2. Person Singular Präteritum Indikativ des Verbs sein 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs weisen

Where the eye mixes warst and weist

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
warst
5 ch
weist

Look-alike desk: warst vs weist

A purely visual mix-up. warst ([vaːɐ̯st]) and weist ([vaɪ̯st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

warst is recorded at frequency rank #3,092, classified as averb, pronounced [vaːɐ̯st]. weist is at rank #2,275, tagged as averb, pronounced [vaɪ̯st].

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 5367, this pair ranks #1,994,973 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of warst vs weist

Shared letters: stw. Private to "warst": ar. Private to "weist": ei.

"warst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "weist" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • warstawrst · warrst · warsst · warstt · warts · wasrt · wrast · wwarst
  • weistewist · weisst · weistt · weits · wesit · wiest · wweist

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "warst" and "weist" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vaːɐ̯st] versus [vaɪ̯st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "warst" vs "weist" - which ranks higher?
"weist" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,275 in our German list, against #3,092 for "warst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "warst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "weist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,994,973 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "warst" and "weist" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "warst 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 #1,994,973 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list