worumvswozuWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,880
“worum” frequency rank
#3,098
“wozu” frequency rank
9978
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature worum wozu
Definition um welche Sache/Angelegenheit fragt nach einem Zweck, einem Ziel, einem Nutzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set worum and wozu apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
worum
4 ch
wozu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. worum ([voˈʁʊm]) and wozu ([voˈt͡suː]) 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 9978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

worum is recorded at frequency rank #6,880, classified as anadv, pronounced [voˈʁʊm]. wozu is at rank #3,098, tagged as anadv, pronounced [voˈt͡suː].

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 9978, this pair ranks #1,977,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of worum vs wozu

Shared letters: ouw. Private to "worum": mr. Private to "wozu": z.

"worum" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "wozu" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • worumowrum · wormu · worrum · worumm · wourm · wroum · wworum
  • wozuowzu · wouz · wozzu · wwozu · wzou

Frequency comparison

worum#6,880
wozu#3,098

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "worum" and "wozu" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([voˈʁʊm] versus [voˈt͡suː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "worum" or "wozu"?
"wozu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,098 in our German list, against #6,880 for "worum". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering worum vs wozu

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “worum” 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