wirkstvsworksWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: wirkst is a verb, works is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“wirkst” is a verb and “works” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,527
“wirkst” frequency rank
#22,219
“works” frequency rank
60746
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wirkst works
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wirken Plural des Substantivs work

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
wirkst
5 ch
works

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wirkst is [vɪʁkst] while works is [wɜːks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60746, 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]. works is at rank #22,219, tagged as anoun, pronounced [wɜːks].

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 60746, this pair ranks #775,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wirkst vs works

Shared letters: krsw. Private to "wirkst": it. Private to "works": o.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wirkstiwrkst · wikrst · wirkkst · wirksst · wirkstt · wirkts · wirrkst · wirskt
  • worksowrks · wokrs · workks · workss · worrks · worsk · wroks · wworks

Frequency comparison

wirkst#38,527
works#22,219

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wirkst" and "works" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "wirkst" is a verb and "works" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "wirkst" or "works"?
"works" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,219 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 wirkst vs works

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “wirkst”; for a noun, it's “works”.
  • 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