we'revswehrteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,728
“we're” frequency rank
#22,211
“wehrte” frequency rank
58939
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature we're wehrte
Definition „we are:“ wir sind 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wehren

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
we're
6 ch
wehrte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: we're is anabbrev and wehrteaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58939, 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 […]. wehrte is at rank #22,211, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈveːɐ̯tə].

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 58939, this pair ranks #843,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of we're vs wehrte

Shared letters: erw. Private to "we're": -. Private to "wehrte": ht.

"we're" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "wehrte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wehrteewhrte · wehhrte · wehret · wehrrte · wehrtte · wehtre · werhte · wherte

Frequency comparison

we're#36,728
wehrte#22,211

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "we're" and "wehrte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "we're" is an abbrev and "wehrte" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "we're" or "wehrte"?
"wehrte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,211 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 wehrte

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 “wehrte”.
  • 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