wünschstvswünschteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,436
“wünschst” frequency rank
#4,013
“wünschte” frequency rank
33449
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature wünschst wünschte
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs wünschen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wünschen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wünschst and wünschte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
wünschst
8 ch
wünschte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. wünschst ([vʏnʃst]) 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 33449, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

wünschst is recorded at frequency rank #29,436, classified as averb, pronounced [vʏnʃst]. 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 33449, this pair ranks #1,685,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of wünschst vs wünschte

Shared letters: chnstwü. Private to "wünschst": -. Private to "wünschte": e.

"wünschst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCC  ·  "wünschte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCV

Frequency comparison

wünschst#29,436
wünschte#4,013

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "wünschst" and "wünschte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vʏnʃst] versus [ˈvʏnʃtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "wünschst" or "wünschte"?
"wünschte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,013 in our German list, against #29,436 for "wünschst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering wünschst vs wünschte

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 “wünschst” 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