we'revsweiseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: we're is a abbrev, weise is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#36,728
“we're” frequency rank
#740
“weise” frequency rank
37468
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature we're weise
Definition „we are:“ wir sind reich an Wissen und Lebenserfahrung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set we're and weise apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
we're
5 ch
weise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: we're is anabbrev and weiseanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37468, 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 […]. weise is at rank #740, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯zə].

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 37468, this pair ranks #1,589,447 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of we're vs weise

Shared letters: ew. Private to "we're": r. Private to "weise": is.

"we're" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "weise" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weiseewise · weies · weisse · wesie · wweise

Frequency comparison

we're#36,728
weise#740

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "we're" and "weise" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "we're" is an abbrev and "weise" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "we're" or "weise"?
"weise" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #740 in our German list, against #36,728 for "we're". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering we're vs weise

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an abbrev, it's “we're”; for an adjective, it's “weise”.
  • 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