wichsenvswischenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,997
“wichsen” frequency rank
#18,766
“wischen” frequency rank
33763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wichsen wischen
Definition Leder mit Schuhcreme oder einem Lederfett einreiben (Schuhe oder Lederwaren) etwas, zum Beispiel Schmutz von einer Oberfläche, entfernen, eventuell mit einem Lappen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wichsen and wischen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
wichsen
7 ch
wischen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wichsen ([ˈvɪksn̩]) and wischen ([ˈvɪʃn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wichsen is recorded at frequency rank #14,997, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪksn̩]. wischen is at rank #18,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʃn̩].

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 33763, this pair ranks #1,678,632 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wichsen vs wischen

Shared letters: cehinsw. Private to "wichsen": -. Private to "wischen": -.

"wichsen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "wischen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wichseniwchsen · wcihsen · wicchsen · wichesn · wichhsen · wichsenn · wichsne · wichssen
  • wischeniwschen · wiscchen · wiscehn · wischenn · wischhen · wischne · wishcen · wisschen

Frequency comparison

wichsen#14,997
wischen#18,766

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wichsen" and "wischen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪksn̩] versus [ˈvɪʃn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wichsen" or "wischen"?
"wichsen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,997 in our German list, against #18,766 for "wischen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wichsen vs wischen

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 “wichsen” 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