weisenvsWeisungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,935
“weisen” frequency rank
#23,371
“Weisung” frequency rank
26306
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature weisen Weisung
Definition auf etwas zeigen verbindliche Aufforderung

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
weisen
7 ch
Weisung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weisen is [ˈvaɪ̯zn̩] while Weisung is [ˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

weisen is recorded at frequency rank #2,935, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯zn̩]. Weisung is at rank #23,371, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ].

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 26306, this pair ranks #1,820,140 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of weisen vs Weisung

Shared letters: einsw. Private to "weisen": -. Private to "Weisung": gu.

"weisen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Weisung" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weisenewisen · weiesn · weisenn · weisne · weissen · wesien · wweisen
  • Weisungewisung · weisnug · weissung · weisugn · weisungg · weisunng · weiusng · wesiung

Frequency comparison

weisen#2,935
Weisung#23,371

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "weisen" and "Weisung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "weisen" is a verb and "Weisung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "weisen" or "Weisung"?
"weisen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,935 in our German list, against #23,371 for "Weisung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering weisen vs Weisung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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