wedelnvswendenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,037
“wedeln” frequency rank
#3,554
“wenden” frequency rank
48591
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wedeln wenden
Definition mit einem Körperteil oder einem leichten Gegenstand hin und her schwingen Vergangenheitsform „wendete“

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wedeln
6 ch
wenden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wedeln ([ˈveːdl̩n]) and wenden ([ˈvɛndn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48591, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wedeln is recorded at frequency rank #45,037, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈveːdl̩n]. wenden is at rank #3,554, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛndn̩].

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 48591, this pair ranks #1,242,851 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wedeln vs wenden

Shared letters: denw. Private to "wedeln": l. Private to "wenden": -.

"wedeln" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "wenden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wedelnewdeln · wdeeln · weddeln · wedelln · wedelnn · wedenl · wedlen · weedln
  • wendenewnden · wednen · wendden · wendenn · wendne · wenedn · wennden · wneden

Frequency comparison

wedeln#45,037
wenden#3,554

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wedeln" and "wenden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈveːdl̩n] versus [ˈvɛndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wedeln" or "wenden"?
"wenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,554 in our German list, against #45,037 for "wedeln". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering wedeln vs wenden

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 “wedeln” 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