winkevswinkteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,873
“winke” frequency rank
#37,900
“winkte” frequency rank
70773
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature winke winkte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs winken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs winken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set winke and winkte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
winke
6 ch
winkte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. winke ([ˈvɪŋkə]) and winkte ([ˈvɪŋktə]) 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 70773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

winke is recorded at frequency rank #32,873, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪŋkə]. winkte is at rank #37,900, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪŋktə].

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 70773, this pair ranks #436,220 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of winke vs winkte

Shared letters: eiknw. Private to "winke": -. Private to "winkte": t.

"winke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "winkte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • winkeiwnke · wikne · winek · winkke · winnke · wnike · wwinke
  • winkteiwnkte · wiknte · winket · winkkte · winktte · winnkte · wintke · wnikte

Frequency comparison

winke#32,873
winkte#37,900

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "winke" and "winkte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪŋkə] versus [ˈvɪŋktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "winke" or "winkte"?
"winke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,873 in our German list, against #37,900 for "winkte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering winke vs winkte

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 “winke” 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