windetvswinkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,727
“windet” frequency rank
#16,881
“winken” frequency rank
56608
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature windet winken
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs winden zur Begrüßung, zum Abschied oder, um Aufmerksamkeit zu erregen, mit der Hand in der Luft wedeln

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
windet
6 ch
winken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. windet ([ˈvɪndət]) and winken ([ˈvɪŋkn̩]) 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 56608, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

windet is recorded at frequency rank #39,727, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪndət]. winken is at rank #16,881, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪŋkn̩].

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 56608, this pair ranks #933,749 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of windet vs winken

Shared letters: einw. Private to "windet": dt. Private to "winken": k.

"windet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "winken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • windetiwndet · widnet · winddet · windett · windte · winedt · winndet · wnidet
  • winkeniwnken · wiknen · winekn · winkenn · winkken · winkne · winnken · wniken

Frequency comparison

windet#39,727
winken#16,881

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "windet" and "winken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪndət] versus [ˈvɪŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "windet" or "winken"?
"winken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,881 in our German list, against #39,727 for "windet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering windet vs winken

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 “windet” 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