Which to use
“wünschen” and “wünschten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,465
- “wünschen” frequency rank
- #24,581
- “wünschten” frequency rank
- 26046
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wünschen | wünschten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ersehnen, erhoffen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wünschen |
Where the eye mixes wünschen and wünschten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. wünschen runs 8 letters (CVCCCCVC) against wünschten's 9 (CVCCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses wünschen with wünschten
A purely visual mix-up. wünschen ([ˈvʏnʃn̩]) and wünschten ([ˈvʏnʃtn̩]) 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 26046, 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]. wünschten is at rank #24,581, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏnʃtn̩].
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 26046, this pair ranks #1,824,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wünschen vs wünschten
Shared letters: cehnswü. Private to "wünschen": -. Private to "wünschten": t.
"wünschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "wünschten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wünschen" for "wünschten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "wünschen" or "wünschten" show up more?
What to do next
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 "wünschten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,824,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wünschen" and "wünschten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wünschen vs wünschst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,824,028 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.