Which to use
“wirklich” and “wörtlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #169
- “wirklich” frequency rank
- #8,492
- “wörtlich” frequency rank
- 8661
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wirklich | wörtlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tatsächlich existierend und nicht nur in der Einbildung vorhanden seiend | im genauen Wortlaut |
Where the eye mixes wirklich and wörtlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. wirklich and wörtlich follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: wirklich vs wörtlich
A purely visual mix-up. wirklich ([ˈvɪʁklɪç]) and wörtlich ([ˈvœʁtlɪç]) 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 8661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wirklich is recorded at frequency rank #169, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈvɪʁklɪç]. wörtlich is at rank #8,492, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvœʁtlɪç].
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 8661, this pair ranks #1,983,383 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wirklich vs wörtlich
Shared letters: chilrw. Private to "wirklich": k. Private to "wörtlich": tö.
"wirklich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "wörtlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- wirklich ← iwrklich · wikrlich · wirkilch · wirkklich · wirklcih · wirklicch · wirklichh · wirklihc
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wirklich" for "wörtlich" ever safe?
Frequency check: "wirklich" vs "wörtlich" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wirklich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wörtlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,983,383 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wirklich" and "wörtlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wörtlich vs wörtliche". 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 #1,983,383 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.