waschvswischtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,959
“wasch” frequency rank
#31,376
“wischt” frequency rank
54335
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wasch wischt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs waschen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wischen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wasch and wischt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
wasch
6 ch
wischt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wasch ([vaʃ]) and wischt ([vɪʃt]) 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 54335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wasch is recorded at frequency rank #22,959, classified as averb, pronounced [vaʃ]. wischt is at rank #31,376, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʃt].

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 54335, this pair ranks #1,022,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wasch vs wischt

Shared letters: chsw. Private to "wasch": a. Private to "wischt": it.

"wasch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "wischt" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • waschawsch · wascch · waschh · washc · wassch · wsach · wwasch
  • wischtiwscht · wicsht · wisccht · wischht · wischtt · wiscth · wishct · wisscht

Frequency comparison

wasch#22,959
wischt#31,376

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wasch" and "wischt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vaʃ] versus [vɪʃt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wasch" or "wischt"?
"wasch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,959 in our German list, against #31,376 for "wischt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wasch vs wischt

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 “wasch” 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