Which to use
“wash” and “wich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,357
- “wash” frequency rank
- #19,451
- “wich” frequency rank
- 63808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wash | wich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | waschen, säubern | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs weichen |
Where the eye mixes wash and wich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. wash and wich follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses wash with wich
A purely visual mix-up. wash ([wɒʃ]) and wich ([vɪç]) 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 63808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wash is recorded at frequency rank #44,357, classified as averb, pronounced [wɒʃ]. wich is at rank #19,451, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪç].
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 63808, this pair ranks #663,635 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wash vs wich
Shared letters: hw. Private to "wash": as. Private to "wich": ci.
"wash" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "wich" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wash" for "wich" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wash" vs "wich" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "wash" and "wich" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "wash" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #663,635 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wash" and "wich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wash 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 #663,635 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.