WerksvswirkstWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#15,264
“Werks” frequency rank
#38,527
“wirkst” frequency rank
53791
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Werks wirkst
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Werk 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Werks and wirkst apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Werks
6 ch
wirkst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Werks is [vɛʁks] while wirkst is [vɪʁkst]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Werks is recorded at frequency rank #15,264, classified as anoun, pronounced [vɛʁks]. wirkst is at rank #38,527, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʁkst].

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 53791, this pair ranks #1,044,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Werks vs wirkst

Shared letters: krsw. Private to "Werks": e. Private to "wirkst": it.

"Werks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "wirkst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Werksewrks · wekrs · werkks · werkss · werrks · wersk · wreks · wwerks
  • wirkstiwrkst · wikrst · wirkkst · wirksst · wirkstt · wirkts · wirrkst · wirskt

Frequency comparison

Werks#15,264
wirkst#38,527

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Werks" and "wirkst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Werks" is a noun and "wirkst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Werks" or "wirkst"?
"Werks" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,264 in our German list, against #38,527 for "wirkst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Werks vs wirkst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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