wendenvswendeteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“wenden” and “wendete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,554
“wenden” frequency rank
#25,838
“wendete” frequency rank
29392
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wenden wendete
Definition Vergangenheitsform „wendete“ 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wenden

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wenden
7 ch
wendete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wenden ([ˈvɛndn̩]) and wendete ([ˈvɛndətə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wenden is recorded at frequency rank #3,554, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛndn̩]. wendete is at rank #25,838, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛndətə].

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 29392, this pair ranks #1,767,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wenden vs wendete

Shared letters: denw. Private to "wenden": -. Private to "wendete": t.

"wenden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "wendete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wendenewnden · wednen · wendden · wendenn · wendne · wenedn · wennden · wneden
  • wendeteewndete · wednete · wenddete · wendeet · wendette · wendtee · wenedte · wenndete

Frequency comparison

wenden#3,554
wendete#25,838

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wenden" and "wendete" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛndn̩] versus [ˈvɛndətə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wenden" or "wendete"?
"wenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,554 in our German list, against #25,838 for "wendete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wenden vs wendete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wenden” 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