Which to use
“wirkten” and “wirren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,786
- “wirkten” frequency rank
- #20,796
- “wirren” frequency rank
- 32582
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wirkten | wirren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wirken | wirr durcheinander wogen |
Where the eye mixes wirkten and wirren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wirkten runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against wirren's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses wirkten with wirren
A purely visual mix-up. wirkten ([ˈvɪʁktn̩]) and wirren ([ˈvɪʁən]) 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 32582, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wirkten is recorded at frequency rank #11,786, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʁktn̩]. wirren is at rank #20,796, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɪʁən].
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 32582, this pair ranks #1,704,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wirkten vs wirren
Shared letters: einrw. Private to "wirkten": kt. Private to "wirren": -.
"wirkten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "wirren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wirkten" for "wirren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "wirkten" or "wirren"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wirkten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wirren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,704,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wirkten" and "wirren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wirren vs wirres". 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 #1,704,564 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.