Which to use
“weilen” is a verb and “weiter” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,125
- “weilen” frequency rank
- #168
- “weiter” frequency rank
- 47293
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weilen | weiter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich an einem Ort aufhalten, an einem Ort bleiben | zum bereits Vorhandenen noch dazukommend, hinzugefügt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weilen and weiter apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: weilen is [ˈvaɪ̯lən] while weiter is [ˈvaɪ̯tɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47293, 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]. weiter is at rank #168, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯tɐ].
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 47293, this pair ranks #1,289,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of weilen vs weiter
Shared letters: eiw. Private to "weilen": ln. Private to "weiter": rt.
"weilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "weiter" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "weilen" and "weiter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "weilen" or "weiter"?
Remembering weilen vs weiter
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “weilen”; for an adjective, it's “weiter”.
- 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