Which to use
“werfen” is a verb and “wessen” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,095
- “werfen” frequency rank
- #12,833
- “wessen” frequency rank
- 14928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | werfen | wessen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas in eine bestimmte Richtung schleudern | Genitiv von wer |
Where the eye mixes werfen and wessen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between werfen and wessen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: werfen is [ˈvɛʁfn̩] while wessen is [ˈvɛsn̩]. 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 pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
werfen is recorded at frequency rank #2,095, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛʁfn̩]. wessen is at rank #12,833, tagged as apron, pronounced [ˈvɛsn̩].
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 14928, this pair ranks #1,947,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of werfen vs wessen
Shared letters: enw. Private to "werfen": fr. Private to "wessen": s.
"werfen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wessen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "werfen" for "wessen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "werfen" or "wessen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "werfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wessen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,947,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "werfen" and "wessen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "weilen vs wessen". 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 #1,947,708 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.