webenvsweinenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“weben” and “weinen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,516
“weben” frequency rank
#3,862
“weinen” frequency rank
42378
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature weben weinen
Definition durch wechselweises Kreuzen von Längsfäden und Querfäden ein Tuch oder Stoff herstellen Tränen vergießen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
weben
6 ch
weinen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. weben ([ˈveːbn̩]) and weinen ([ˈvaɪ̯nən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

weben is recorded at frequency rank #38,516, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈveːbn̩]. weinen is at rank #3,862, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯nən].

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 42378, this pair ranks #1,451,235 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of weben vs weinen

Shared letters: enw. Private to "weben": b. Private to "weinen": i.

"weben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "weinen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • webenewben · wbeen · webben · webenn · webne · weebn · wweben
  • weinenewinen · weienn · weinenn · weinne · weinnen · wenien · wienen · wweinen

Frequency comparison

weben#38,516
weinen#3,862

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "weben" and "weinen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈveːbn̩] versus [ˈvaɪ̯nən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "weben" or "weinen"?
"weinen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,862 in our German list, against #38,516 for "weben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering weben vs weinen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “weben” 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