we'revswehrenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: we're is a abbrev, wehren is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“we're” is an abbrev and “wehren” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,728
“we're” frequency rank
#5,444
“wehren” frequency rank
42172
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature we're wehren
Definition „we are:“ wir sind sich etwas/jemandem entgegensetzen; gegen etwas Widerstand leisten

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
we're
6 ch
wehren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: we're is anabbrev and wehrenaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

we're is recorded at frequency rank #36,728, classified as anabbrev, pronounced […]. wehren is at rank #5,444, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈveːʁən].

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 42172, this pair ranks #1,457,418 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of we're vs wehren

Shared letters: erw. Private to "we're": -. Private to "wehren": hn.

"we're" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "wehren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wehrenewhren · wehern · wehhren · wehrenn · wehrne · wehrren · werhen · wheren

Frequency comparison

we're#36,728
wehren#5,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "we're" and "wehren" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "we're" is an abbrev and "wehren" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "we're" or "wehren"?
"wehren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,444 in our German list, against #36,728 for "we're". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering we're vs wehren

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an abbrev, it's “we're”; for a verb, it's “wehren”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “we're” 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