Which to use
“weigern” is a verb and “Weiher” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,760
- “weigern” frequency rank
- #20,790
- “Weiher” frequency rank
- 39550
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weigern | Weiher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ablehnen, etwas zu tun | kleiner, flacher See, stehendes Gewässer, Teich, Fischgewässer |
Where the eye mixes weigern and Weiher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. weigern runs 7 letters (CVVCVCC) against Weiher's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses weigern with Weiher
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weigern is [ˈvaɪ̯ɡɐn] while Weiher is [ˈvaɪ̯ɐ]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weigern is recorded at frequency rank #18,760, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯ɡɐn]. Weiher is at rank #20,790, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯ɐ].
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 39550, this pair ranks #1,533,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weigern vs Weiher
Shared letters: eirw. Private to "weigern": gn. Private to "Weiher": h.
"weigern" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC · "Weiher" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "weigern" and "Weiher" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "weigern" or "Weiher" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "weigern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Weiher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,533,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weigern" and "Weiher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Weiher vs writer". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,533,660 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.