Which to use
“wink” and “wirf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,970
- “wink” frequency rank
- #22,573
- “wirf” frequency rank
- 45543
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wink | wirf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs winken | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs werfen |
Where the eye mixes wink and wirf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between wink and wirf
A purely visual mix-up. wink ([vɪŋk]) and wirf ([vɪʁf]) 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 45543, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wink is recorded at frequency rank #22,970, classified as averb, pronounced [vɪŋk]. wirf is at rank #22,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʁf].
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 45543, this pair ranks #1,349,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wink vs wirf
Shared letters: iw. Private to "wink": kn. Private to "wirf": fr.
"wink" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "wirf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wink" for "wirf" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wink" vs "wirf" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wink" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wirf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,349,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wink" and "wirf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "went vs wink". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,349,469 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.