wünschen

[ˈvʏnʃn̩]

/[ˈvʏnʃn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“wünschen” has 13 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #1,465. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,465
frequency rank, German
2,930
“W” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas ersehnen, erhoffen

Corpus desk

Index DE-wunschen · wünschen · German

wünschen · rank #1,465 · 13 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,465
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,930
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wolfgang

Nearest frequency peer: Wolfgang (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „wünschen“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „wünschen“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wünschen vs wünscht
75% similar
wünschen vs wünschte
75% similar
wünschen vs wünschst
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wünschen
PropertyValue
Headwordwünschen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈvʏnʃn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,465
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „wünschen“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).wünschenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Wolfgang“ (#1,464), „Zuhause“ (#1,466), „vorhanden“ (#1,463). Unter 2,930 „W“-Lemmata liegt „wünschen“ bei #1,465. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around wünschen (IPA [ˈvʏnʃn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,465 among 2,930 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for wünschen, with forms such as "wnüschen", "wwünschen", and "wüncshen". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "wünscht", "wünschte", "wünschst", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is wünschen, spelled W-Ü-N-S-C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas ersehnen, erhoffen
  2. 2
    etwas höflich fordern, verlangen
  3. 3
    jemandem mitteilen, dass man etwas für ihn erhofft

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wünschen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Sie wünscht sich ein Kind.
  2. Du wünscht dir aber einen vernünftigen Rat, was du heute tun sollst.

Synonyms

anstrebenanvisierenbrennenden Wunsch habensicherhoffenerpicht seinerstrebensich erträumenfiebernherbeisehnenSehnsucht habenstrebenträumenversessen seinwollensich zum Ziel setzenbegehrenden Wunsch hegenersehnengelüstengierenhungernlechzenschmachtensinnentrachtenverlangenVerlangen habensich verzehrenbestehen aufbittendringen aufausbedingenausbittenerbittenersucheninsistierenpostulierenreklamierendürstenheißscharfwild sein aufBockhaben

This word in other languages

wish(English)anhelar(Español)souhaiter(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • wnüschen
  • wwünschen
  • wüncshen
  • wünnschen
  • wünscchen
  • wünscehn
  • wünschenn
  • wünschhen
  • wünschne
  • wünshcen
  • wünsschen
  • wüsnchen
  • üwnschen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wünschen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

wnüschen2wwünschen1wüncshen2wünnschen1wünscchen1wünscehn2wünschenn1wünschhen1
Edit distance from "wünschen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wünschen"?
"wünschen" is spelled W-Ü-N-S-C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvʏnʃn̩].
What does "wünschen" mean?
As a verb, "wünschen" means: etwas ersehnen, erhoffen
What words are commonly confused with "wünschen"?
"wünschen" is commonly confused with "wünscht", "wünschte", "wünschst". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wünschen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wünschen" is [ˈvʏnʃn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "wünschen" come from?
"wünschen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wünschen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Wolfgang#1,464bezahlen#1,469Eindruck#1,473gefahren#1,479

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Interview13 variantszufrieden13 variantsLiteratur13 variantsKünstler13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list