Which to use
“Wehe” is a noun and “wehte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,122
- “Wehe” frequency rank
- #45,686
- “wehte” frequency rank
- 54808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wehe | wehte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seelischer Schmerz | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wehen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wehe and wehte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Wehe is [ˈveːə] while wehte is [ˈveːtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wehe is recorded at frequency rank #9,122, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈveːə]. wehte is at rank #45,686, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈveːtə].
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 54808, this pair ranks #1,004,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Wehe vs wehte
Shared letters: ehw. Private to "Wehe": -. Private to "wehte": t.
"Wehe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "wehte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wehe" and "wehte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Wehe" or "wehte"?
Remembering Wehe vs wehte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Wehe”; for a verb, it's “wehte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Wehe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable