Which to use
“waschen” is a verb and “welchen” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,844
- “waschen” frequency rank
- #1,277
- “welchen” frequency rank
- 6121
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | waschen | welchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Wasser oder einer anderen Flüssigkeit reinigen | Akkusativ Singular des Pronomens welcher |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set waschen and welchen 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: waschen is [ˈvaʃn̩] while welchen is [ˈvɛlçn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6121, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
waschen is recorded at frequency rank #4,844, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaʃn̩]. welchen is at rank #1,277, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈvɛlçn̩].
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 6121, this pair ranks #1,992,653 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of waschen vs welchen
Shared letters: cehnw. Private to "waschen": as. Private to "welchen": l.
"waschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "welchen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "waschen" and "welchen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "waschen" or "welchen"?
Remembering waschen vs welchen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “waschen”; for an unknown, it's “welchen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “waschen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable