weichesvsWeilchenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: weiches is a adjective, Weilchen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

By · Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org ·

Which to use

“weiches” is an adjective and “Weilchen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,477
“weiches” frequency rank
#33,392
“Weilchen” frequency rank
61869
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature weiches Weilchen
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs weich unbestimmte, meist kurze Zeitspanne

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weiches and Weilchen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
weiches
8 ch
Weilchen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weiches is [ˈvaɪ̯çəs] while Weilchen is [ˈvaɪ̯lçən]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61869, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

weiches is recorded at frequency rank #28,477, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯çəs]. Weilchen is at rank #33,392, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯lçən].

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 61869, this pair ranks #733,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of weiches vs Weilchen

Shared letters: cehiw. Private to "weiches": s. Private to "Weilchen": ln.

"weiches" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "Weilchen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weiches ← ewiches · wecihes · weicches · weicehs · weichess · weichhes · weichse · weihces
  • Weilchen ← ewilchen · weiclhen · weilcchen · weilcehn · weilchenn · weilchhen · weilchne · weilhcen

Frequency comparison

weiches#28,477
Weilchen#33,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "weiches" and "Weilchen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "weiches" is an adjective and "Weilchen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "weiches" or "Weilchen"?
"weiches" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,477 in our German list, against #33,392 for "Weilchen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering weiches vs Weilchen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “weiches”; for a noun, it's “Weilchen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “weiches” 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