Which to use
“weis” and “weist” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,848
- “weis” frequency rank
- #2,275
- “weist” frequency rank
- 10123
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weis | weist |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs weisen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs weisen |
Where the eye mixes weis and weist
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. weis runs 4 letters (CVVC) against weist's 5 (CVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between weis and weist
A purely visual mix-up. weis ([vaɪ̯s]) and weist ([vaɪ̯st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “weis” sits inside “weist”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10123, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weis is recorded at frequency rank #7,848, classified as averb, pronounced [vaɪ̯s]. weist is at rank #2,275, tagged as averb, pronounced [vaɪ̯st].
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 10123, this pair ranks #1,976,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weis vs weist
Shared letters: eisw. Private to "weis": -. Private to "weist": t.
"weis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "weist" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "weis" for "weist" ever safe?
Which is more common, "weis" or "weist"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "weis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "weist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,976,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weis" and "weist" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "weis vs went". 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 #1,976,676 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.