windenvswinkeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,377
“winden” frequency rank
#32,873
“winke” frequency rank
56250
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature winden winke
Definition etwas drehen, wickeln 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs winken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
winden
5 ch
winke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. winden ([ˈvɪndn̩]) and winke ([ˈvɪŋkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

winden is recorded at frequency rank #23,377, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪndn̩]. winke is at rank #32,873, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪŋkə].

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 56250, this pair ranks #947,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of winden vs winke

Shared letters: einw. Private to "winden": d. Private to "winke": k.

"winden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "winke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • windeniwnden · widnen · windden · windenn · windne · winedn · winnden · wniden
  • winkeiwnke · wikne · winek · winkke · winnke · wnike · wwinke

Frequency comparison

winden#23,377
winke#32,873

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "winden" and "winke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪndn̩] versus [ˈvɪŋkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "winden" or "winke"?
"winden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,377 in our German list, against #32,873 for "winke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering winden vs winke

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 “winden” 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