wettertvswitternWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,130
“wettert” frequency rank
#38,529
“wittern” frequency rank
85659
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wettert wittern
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wettern etwas oder jemanden riechen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
wettert
7 ch
wittern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wettert ([ˈvɛtɐt]) and wittern ([ˈvɪtɐn]) 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 85659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wettert is recorded at frequency rank #47,130, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛtɐt]. wittern is at rank #38,529, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪtɐn].

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 85659, this pair ranks #104,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of wettert vs wittern

Shared letters: ertw. Private to "wettert": -. Private to "wittern": in.

"wettert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "wittern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wettertewttert · wetert · wetetrt · wetterrt · wettertt · wettetr · wettret · wtetert
  • witterniwttern · witern · witetrn · wittenr · witternn · witterrn · wittren · wtitern

Frequency comparison

wettert#47,130
wittern#38,529

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wettert" and "wittern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛtɐt] versus [ˈvɪtɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wettert" or "wittern"?
"wittern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,529 in our German list, against #47,130 for "wettert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wettert vs wittern

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 “wettert” 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