Which to use
“wirkst” and “wirkte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,527
- “wirkst” frequency rank
- #4,240
- “wirkte” frequency rank
- 42767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wirkst | wirkte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wirken |
Where the eye mixes wirkst and wirkte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wirkst (CVCCCC) and wirkte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between wirkst and wirkte
A purely visual mix-up. wirkst ([vɪʁkst]) and wirkte ([ˈvɪʁktə]) 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 42767, 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]. wirkte is at rank #4,240, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʁktə].
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 42767, this pair ranks #1,439,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of wirkst vs wirkte
Shared letters: ikrtw. Private to "wirkst": s. Private to "wirkte": e.
"wirkst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "wirkte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wirkst" and "wirkte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "wirkst" vs "wirkte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wirkst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wirkte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,439,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wirkst" and "wirkte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wichst vs wirkst". 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 #1,439,131 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.