Which to use
“Wäsche” is a noun and “waschen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,614
- “Wäsche” frequency rank
- #4,844
- “waschen” frequency rank
- 11458
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wäsche | waschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gesamtheit mehrerer Kleidungs- und Textilstücke, die kürzlich gewaschen wurden oder gewaschen werden sollen | mit Wasser oder einer anderen Flüssigkeit reinigen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wäsche and waschen apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: Wäsche is [ˈvɛʃə] while waschen is [ˈvaʃn̩]. 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 11458, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wäsche is recorded at frequency rank #6,614, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛʃə]. waschen is at rank #4,844, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaʃn̩].
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 11458, this pair ranks #1,969,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Wäsche vs waschen
Shared letters: cehsw. Private to "Wäsche": ä. Private to "waschen": an.
"Wäsche" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "waschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- waschen ← awschen · wascchen · wascehn · waschenn · waschhen · waschne · washcen · wasschen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wäsche" and "waschen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Wäsche" or "waschen"?
Remembering Wäsche vs waschen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Wäsche”; for a verb, it's “waschen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Wäsche” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable