weilenvsWeilerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: weilen is a verb, Weiler is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“weilen” is a verb and “Weiler” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,125
“weilen” frequency rank
#16,046
“Weiler” frequency rank
63171
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature weilen Weiler
Definition sich an einem Ort aufhalten, an einem Ort bleiben Wohnsiedlung oder ein Gehöft bestehend aus wenigen Gebäuden, deutlich kleiner als ein Dorf

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weilen and Weiler apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
weilen
6 ch
Weiler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weilen is [ˈvaɪ̯lən] while Weiler is [ˈvaɪ̯lɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “weilen” becomes r in “Weiler”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

weilen is recorded at frequency rank #47,125, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯lən]. Weiler is at rank #16,046, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯lɐ].

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 63171, this pair ranks #686,249 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of weilen vs Weiler

Shared letters: eilw. Private to "weilen": n. Private to "Weiler": r.

"weilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Weiler" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weilenewilen · weieln · weilenn · weillen · weilne · welien · wielen · wweilen
  • Weilerewiler · weielr · weilerr · weiller · weilre · welier · wieler · wweiler

Frequency comparison

weilen#47,125
Weiler#16,046

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "weilen" and "Weiler" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "weilen" is a verb and "Weiler" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "weilen" or "Weiler"?
"Weiler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,046 in our German list, against #47,125 for "weilen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering weilen vs Weiler

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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