würgenvswütenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,877
“würgen” frequency rank
#42,274
“wüten” frequency rank
72151
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature würgen wüten
Definition jemandem die Kehle zudrücken kraftvoll agierend und oft ungerichtet Zerstörungen anrichten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set würgen and wüten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
würgen
5 ch
wüten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. würgen ([ˈvʏʁɡn̩]) and wüten ([ˈvyːtn̩]) 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 72151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

würgen is recorded at frequency rank #29,877, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁɡn̩]. wüten is at rank #42,274, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvyːtn̩].

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 72151, this pair ranks #396,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of würgen vs wüten

Shared letters: enwü. Private to "würgen": gr. Private to "wüten": t.

"würgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "wüten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

würgen#29,877
wüten#42,274

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "würgen" and "wüten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvʏʁɡn̩] versus [ˈvyːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "würgen" or "wüten"?
"würgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,877 in our German list, against #42,274 for "wüten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering würgen vs wüten

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 “würgen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list