Which to use
“Wünsche” is a noun and “wünschte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,440
- “Wünsche” frequency rank
- #4,013
- “wünschte” frequency rank
- 5453
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wünsche | wünschte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Wunsch | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wünschen |
Where the eye mixes Wünsche and wünschte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Wünsche runs 7 letters (CVCCCCV) against wünschte's 8 (CVCCCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Wünsche with wünschte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Wünsche is [ˈvʏnʃə] while wünschte is [ˈvʏnʃtə]. 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 5453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wünsche is recorded at frequency rank #1,440, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvʏnʃə]. wünschte is at rank #4,013, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏnʃtə].
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 5453, this pair ranks #1,994,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Wünsche vs wünschte
Shared letters: cehnswü. Private to "Wünsche": -. Private to "wünschte": t.
"Wünsche" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV · "wünschte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wünsche" and "wünschte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Wünsche" or "wünschte"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Wünsche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wünschte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Wünsche" and "wünschte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Wünsche vs wusch". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,994,713 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.