Which to use
“wussten” and “wusstest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,088
- “wussten” frequency rank
- #13,985
- “wusstest” frequency rank
- 18073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wussten | wusstest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen |
Where the eye mixes wussten and wusstest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: wussten vs wusstest
A purely visual mix-up. wussten ([ˈvʊstn̩]) and wusstest ([ˈvʊstəst]) 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 18073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wussten is recorded at frequency rank #4,088, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʊstn̩]. wusstest is at rank #13,985, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʊstəst].
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 18073, this pair ranks #1,921,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wussten vs wusstest
Shared letters: estuw. Private to "wussten": n. Private to "wusstest": -.
"wussten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "wusstest" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wussten" and "wusstest" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wussten" or "wusstest"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "wussten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wusstest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,921,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wussten" and "wusstest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wussten vs wüten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,921,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.