weckenvsweckteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,424
“wecken” frequency rank
#24,194
“weckte” frequency rank
31618
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wecken weckte
Definition jemanden aus dem Schlaf holen, wach machen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wecken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wecken and weckte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
wecken
6 ch
weckte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wecken ([ˈvɛkn̩]) and weckte ([ˈvɛktə]) 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 31618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wecken is recorded at frequency rank #7,424, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛkn̩]. weckte is at rank #24,194, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛktə].

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 31618, this pair ranks #1,724,527 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wecken vs weckte

Shared letters: cekw. Private to "wecken": n. Private to "weckte": t.

"wecken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "weckte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weckenewcken · wceken · weccken · wecekn · weckenn · weckken · weckne · wekcen
  • weckteewckte · wcekte · wecckte · wecket · weckkte · wecktte · wectke · wekcte

Frequency comparison

wecken#7,424
weckte#24,194

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wecken" and "weckte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛkn̩] versus [ˈvɛktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wecken" or "weckte"?
"wecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,424 in our German list, against #24,194 for "weckte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wecken vs weckte

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 “wecken” 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