wirktevswriteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#4,240
“wirkte” frequency rank
#38,531
“write” frequency rank
42771
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wirkte write
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wirken (Symbole, Buchstaben, Wörter) auf einer Fläche zeichnen, formen, zum Beispiel mit einem Bleistift

Where the eye mixes wirkte and write

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
wirkte
5 ch
write

Why the eye confuses wirkte with write

A purely visual mix-up. wirkte ([ˈvɪʁktə]) and write ([ɹaɪt]) 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 42771, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wirkte is recorded at frequency rank #4,240, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʁktə]. write is at rank #38,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɹaɪt].

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 42771, this pair ranks #1,438,972 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of wirkte vs write

Shared letters: eirtw. Private to "wirkte": k. Private to "write": -.

"wirkte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • wirkteiwrkte · wikrte · wirket · wirkkte · wirktte · wirrkte · wirtke · wrikte
  • writerwite · wriet · writte · wrrite · wrtie · wwrite

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "wirkte" for "write" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪʁktə] versus [ɹaɪt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "wirkte" vs "write" - which ranks higher?
"wirkte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,240 in our German list, against #38,531 for "write". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "wirkte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "write" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,438,972 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "wirkte" and "write" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "write vs writer". 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 #1,438,972 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list