Which to use
“weichen” is a verb and “weiches” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,396
- “weichen” frequency rank
- #28,477
- “weiches” frequency rank
- 32873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weichen | weiches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich entfernen, weggehen/Platz machen | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs weich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weichen and weiches apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: weichen is [ˈvaɪ̯çn̩] while weiches is [ˈvaɪ̯çəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “weichen” becomes s in “weiches”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weichen is recorded at frequency rank #4,396, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯çn̩]. weiches is at rank #28,477, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯çəs].
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 32873, this pair ranks #1,698,202 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weichen vs weiches
Shared letters: cehiw. Private to "weichen": n. Private to "weiches": s.
"weichen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "weiches" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "weichen" and "weiches" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "weichen" or "weiches"?
Remembering weichen vs weiches
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “weichen”; for an adjective, it's “weiches”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “weichen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable