wichstvswirkstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,699
“wichst” frequency rank
#38,527
“wirkst” frequency rank
84226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wichst wirkst
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wichsen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wichst
6 ch
wirkst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wichst ([vɪkst]) and wirkst ([vɪʁkst]) 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 84226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wichst is recorded at frequency rank #45,699, classified as averb, pronounced [vɪkst]. 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 84226, this pair ranks #127,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of wichst vs wirkst

Shared letters: istw. Private to "wichst": ch. Private to "wirkst": kr.

"wichst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "wirkst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wichstiwchst · wcihst · wicchst · wichhst · wichsst · wichstt · wichts · wihcst
  • wirkstiwrkst · wikrst · wirkkst · wirksst · wirkstt · wirkts · wirrkst · wirskt

Frequency comparison

wichst#45,699
wirkst#38,527

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wichst" and "wirkst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vɪkst] versus [vɪʁkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wichst" or "wirkst"?
"wirkst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,527 in our German list, against #45,699 for "wichst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wichst vs wirkst

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 “wichst” 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