WurfvsWurmWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,363
“Wurf” frequency rank
#11,791
“Wurm” frequency rank
23154
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wurf Wurm
Definition Vorgang, Ergebnis einer Handlung, bei der ein Gegenstand unter Kraftaufwand über eine gewisse Entfernung durch die Luft befördert wird wirbelloses, bilateral-symmetrisches, langgestrecktes Tier

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wurf and Wurm apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Wurf
4 ch
Wurm

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Wurf ([vʊʁf]) and Wurm ([vʊʁm]) 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 a single letter - f in “Wurf” becomes m in “Wurm”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23154, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wurf is recorded at frequency rank #11,363, classified as anoun, pronounced [vʊʁf]. Wurm is at rank #11,791, tagged as anoun, pronounced [vʊʁm].

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 23154, this pair ranks #1,865,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Wurf vs Wurm

Shared letters: ruw. Private to "Wurf": f. Private to "Wurm": m.

"Wurf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Wurm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Wurfuwrf · wruf · wufr · wurff · wurrf · wwurf
  • Wurmuwrm · wrum · wumr · wurmm · wurrm · wwurm

Frequency comparison

Wurf#11,363
Wurm#11,791

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wurf" and "Wurm" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vʊʁf] versus [vʊʁm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wurf" or "Wurm"?
"Wurf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,363 in our German list, against #11,791 for "Wurm". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wurf vs Wurm

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 “Wurf” 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