Which to use
“wünschen” and “wünschst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,465
- “wünschen” frequency rank
- #29,436
- “wünschst” frequency rank
- 30901
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wünschen | wünschst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ersehnen, erhoffen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wünschen |
Where the eye mixes wünschen and wünschst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. wünschen (CVCCCCVC) and wünschst (CVCCCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between wünschen and wünschst
A purely visual mix-up. wünschen ([ˈvʏnʃn̩]) and wünschst ([vʏnʃst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wünschen is recorded at frequency rank #1,465, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏnʃn̩]. wünschst is at rank #29,436, tagged as averb, pronounced [vʏnʃst].
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 30901, this pair ranks #1,738,851 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wünschen vs wünschst
Shared letters: chnswü. Private to "wünschen": e. Private to "wünschst": t.
"wünschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "wünschst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "wünschen" and "wünschst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "wünschen" or "wünschst" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wünschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wünschst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,738,851 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wünschen" and "wünschst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wünschst vs wurscht". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,738,851 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.