Which to use
“Wäsche” is a noun and “wischen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,614
- “Wäsche” frequency rank
- #18,766
- “wischen” frequency rank
- 25380
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wäsche | wischen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gesamtheit mehrerer Kleidungs- und Textilstücke, die kürzlich gewaschen wurden oder gewaschen werden sollen | etwas, zum Beispiel Schmutz von einer Oberfläche, entfernen, eventuell mit einem Lappen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wäsche and wischen 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 wischen is [ˈvɪʃn̩]. 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 25380, 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]. wischen is at rank #18,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʃn̩].
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 25380, this pair ranks #1,834,169 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Wäsche vs wischen
Shared letters: cehsw. Private to "Wäsche": ä. Private to "wischen": in.
"Wäsche" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "wischen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- wischen ← iwschen · wiscchen · wiscehn · wischenn · wischhen · wischne · wishcen · wisschen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wäsche" and "wischen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Wäsche" or "wischen"?
Remembering Wäsche vs wischen
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 “wischen”.
- 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