WehevsWiegeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,122
“Wehe” frequency rank
#14,209
“Wiege” frequency rank
23331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wehe Wiege
Definition seelischer Schmerz entweder mit zwei abgerundeten Kufen beziehungsweise Schaukelbrettern versehenes beziehungsweise in ein spezielles Gestell eingehängtes oder frei von der Decke hängendes kastenförmiges Bettchen für Säuglinge, mithilfe dessen der Säugling (in Längs- oder Querrichtung) gewiegt beziehungsweise geschaukelt werden kann

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Wehe
5 ch
Wiege

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Wehe ([ˈveːə]) and Wiege ([ˈviːɡə]) 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 23331, 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]. Wiege is at rank #14,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈviːɡə].

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 23331, this pair ranks #1,862,658 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Wehe vs Wiege

Shared letters: ew. Private to "Wehe": h. Private to "Wiege": gi.

"Wehe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Wiege" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Weheewhe · weeh · wehhe · whee · wwehe
  • Wiegeiwege · wieeg · wiegge · wigee · wwiege

Frequency comparison

Wehe#9,122
Wiege#14,209

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wehe" and "Wiege" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈveːə] versus [ˈviːɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wehe" or "Wiege"?
"Wehe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,122 in our German list, against #14,209 for "Wiege". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wehe vs Wiege

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 “Wehe” 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