Which to use
“wüst” is an adjective and “Wüste” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,028
- “wüst” frequency rank
- #5,555
- “Wüste” frequency rank
- 33583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wüst | Wüste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weder besiedelt noch landwirtschaftlich genutzt (und zumeist auch nicht nutzbar) | Gebiet, in dem wegen enormer Trockenheit und Hitze oder Kälte nur schwer oder kein Leben möglich ist |
Where the eye mixes wüst and Wüste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: wüst vs Wüste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wüst is [vyːst] while Wüste is [ˈvyːstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “wüst” sits inside “Wüste”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wüst is recorded at frequency rank #28,028, classified as anadj, pronounced [vyːst]. Wüste is at rank #5,555, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvyːstə].
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 33583, this pair ranks #1,682,695 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wüst vs Wüste
Shared letters: stwü. Private to "wüst": -. Private to "Wüste": e.
"wüst" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Wüste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "wüst" for "Wüste" ever safe?
Which is more common, "wüst" or "Wüste"?
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 "wüst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Wüste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,682,695 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wüst" and "Wüste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "waste vs wüst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,682,695 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.