WitzvswriteConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#2,133
“Witz” frequency rank
#38,531
“write” frequency rank
40664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Witz write
Definition eine kleine Geschichte oder Ähnliches, das zum Lachen anregen soll (Symbole, Buchstaben, Wörter) auf einer Fläche zeichnen, formen, zum Beispiel mit einem Bleistift

Where the eye mixes Witz and write

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Witz
5 ch
write

Look-alike desk: Witz vs write

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Witz is [vɪt͡s] while write is [ɹaɪt]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Witz is recorded at frequency rank #2,133, classified as anoun, pronounced [vɪt͡s]. 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 40664, this pair ranks #1,501,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Witz vs write

Shared letters: itw. Private to "Witz": z. Private to "write": er.

"Witz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "write" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Witziwtz · wittz · witzz · wizt · wtiz · wwitz
  • writerwite · wriet · writte · wrrite · wrtie · wwrite

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Witz" for "write" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Witz" is a noun and "write" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Witz" or "write"?
"Witz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,133 in our German list, against #38,531 for "write". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Witz" 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 #1,501,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Witz" 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 #1,501,946 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