wirfstvswirkstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,203
“wirfst” frequency rank
#38,527
“wirkst” frequency rank
62730
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wirfst wirkst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs werfen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wirfst
6 ch
wirkst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wirfst ([vɪʁfst]) and wirkst ([vɪʁkst]) 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 a single letter - f in “wirfst” becomes k in “wirkst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wirfst is recorded at frequency rank #24,203, classified as averb, pronounced [vɪʁfst]. wirkst is at rank #38,527, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʁkst].

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 62730, this pair ranks #702,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wirfst vs wirkst

Shared letters: irstw. Private to "wirfst": f. Private to "wirkst": k.

"wirfst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "wirkst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wirfstiwrfst · wifrst · wirffst · wirfsst · wirfstt · wirfts · wirrfst · wirsft
  • wirkstiwrkst · wikrst · wirkkst · wirksst · wirkstt · wirkts · wirrkst · wirskt

Frequency comparison

wirfst#24,203
wirkst#38,527

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wirfst" and "wirkst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vɪʁfst] versus [vɪʁkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wirfst" or "wirkst"?
"wirfst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,203 in our German list, against #38,527 for "wirkst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wirfst vs wirkst

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 “wirfst” 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