Which to use
“weis” and “well” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,848
- “weis” frequency rank
- #9,299
- “well” frequency rank
- 17147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weis | well |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs weisen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wellen |
Where the eye mixes weis and well
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: weis vs well
A purely visual mix-up. weis ([vaɪ̯s]) and well ([vɛl]) 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 17147, 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]. well is at rank #9,299, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɛl].
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 17147, this pair ranks #1,929,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weis vs well
Shared letters: ew. Private to "weis": is. Private to "well": l.
"weis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "well" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "weis" and "well" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "weis" or "well"?
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 "well" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,929,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weis" and "well" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "well 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 #1,929,955 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.