Which to use
“wünschen” and “wünschte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,465
- “wünschen” frequency rank
- #4,013
- “wünschte” frequency rank
- 5478
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wünschen | wünschte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ersehnen, erhoffen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wünschen |
Where the eye mixes wünschen and wünschte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between wünschen and wünschte
A purely visual mix-up. wünschen ([ˈvʏnʃn̩]) and wünschte ([ˈvʏnʃtə]) 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 5478, 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]. 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 5478, this pair ranks #1,994,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wünschen vs wünschte
Shared letters: cehnswü. Private to "wünschen": -. Private to "wünschte": t.
"wünschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "wünschte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wünschen" and "wünschte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "wünschen" or "wünschte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "wünschen" and "wünschte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "wünschen" 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 #1,994,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wünschen" and "wünschte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wünschst vs wünschte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,994,631 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.