wirfvswirfstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,573
“wirf” frequency rank
#24,203
“wirfst” frequency rank
46776
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wirf wirfst
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs werfen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs werfen

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
wirf
6 ch
wirfst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wirf ([vɪʁf]) and wirfst ([vɪʁfst]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “wirf” sits inside “wirfst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46776, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wirf is recorded at frequency rank #22,573, classified as averb, pronounced [vɪʁf]. wirfst is at rank #24,203, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʁfst].

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 46776, this pair ranks #1,307,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wirf vs wirfst

Shared letters: firw. Private to "wirf": -. Private to "wirfst": st.

"wirf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "wirfst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wirfiwrf · wifr · wirff · wirrf · wrif · wwirf
  • wirfstiwrfst · wifrst · wirffst · wirfsst · wirfstt · wirfts · wirrfst · wirsft

Frequency comparison

wirf#22,573
wirfst#24,203

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wirf" and "wirfst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vɪʁf] versus [vɪʁfst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wirf" or "wirfst"?
"wirf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,573 in our German list, against #24,203 for "wirfst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wirf vs wirfst

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 “wirf” 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