WeihervsWelserWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,790
“Weiher” frequency rank
#42,947
“Welser” frequency rank
63737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Weiher Welser
Definition kleiner, flacher See, stehendes Gewässer, Teich, Fischgewässer Angehöriger einer Patrizierfamilie von Großkaufleuten, die aus Augsburg und Nürnberg stammt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Weiher and Welser apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Weiher
6 ch
Welser

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Weiher ([ˈvaɪ̯ɐ]) and Welser ([ˈvɛlzɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Weiher is recorded at frequency rank #20,790, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯ɐ]. Welser is at rank #42,947, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛlzɐ].

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 63737, this pair ranks #666,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Weiher vs Welser

Shared letters: erw. Private to "Weiher": hi. Private to "Welser": ls.

"Weiher" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Welser" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Weiherewiher · wehier · weiehr · weiherr · weihher · weihre · wieher · wweiher
  • Welserewlser · welesr · wellser · welserr · welsre · welsser · wesler · wleser

Frequency comparison

Weiher#20,790
Welser#42,947

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Weiher" and "Welser" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvaɪ̯ɐ] versus [ˈvɛlzɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Weiher" or "Welser"?
"Weiher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,790 in our German list, against #42,947 for "Welser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Weiher vs Welser

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 “Weiher” 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