wirkstvswirktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,527
“wirkst” frequency rank
#1,406
“wirkt” frequency rank
39933
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wirkst wirkt
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wirkst
5 ch
wirkt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wirkst ([vɪʁkst]) and wirkt ([vɪʁkt]) 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 39933, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wirkst is recorded at frequency rank #38,527, classified as averb, pronounced [vɪʁkst]. wirkt is at rank #1,406, tagged as averb, pronounced [vɪʁkt].

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 39933, this pair ranks #1,522,785 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wirkst vs wirkt

Shared letters: ikrtw. Private to "wirkst": s. Private to "wirkt": -.

"wirkst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "wirkt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wirkstiwrkst · wikrst · wirkkst · wirksst · wirkstt · wirkts · wirrkst · wirskt
  • wirktiwrkt · wikrt · wirkkt · wirktt · wirrkt · wirtk · wrikt · wwirkt

Frequency comparison

wirkst#38,527
wirkt#1,406

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wirkst" and "wirkt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vɪʁkst] versus [vɪʁkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wirkst" or "wirkt"?
"wirkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,406 in our German list, against #38,527 for "wirkst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering wirkst vs wirkt

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 “wirkst” 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