wussten

[ˈvʊstn̩]

/[ˈvʊstn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“wussten” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #4,088 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,088
frequency rank, German
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

wussten vs Wüste
43% similar
wussten vs wüten
57% similar
wussten vs Wüsten
57% similar

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

Key facts for wussten
PropertyValue
Headwordwussten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈvʊstn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,088
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wussten” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). wussten lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for wussten is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈvʊstn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,088 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for wussten, with forms such as "uwssten", "wsusten", and "wussetn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Wüste", "wüten", "Wüsten", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is wussten, spelled W-U-S-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen
  2. 2
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: uwssten,wsusten,wussetn,wusstenn,wusstne,wusstten,wusten,wustsen,wußten,wwussten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wussten - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

uwssten2wsusten2wussetn2wusstenn1wusstne2wusstten1wusten1wustsen2
Edit distance from "wussten"

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 "wussten"?
"wussten" is spelled W-U-S-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvʊstn̩].
What does "wussten" mean?
As a verb, "wussten" means: 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wissen
What words are commonly confused with "wussten"?
"wussten" is commonly confused with "Wüste", "wüten", "Wüsten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wussten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wussten" is [ˈvʊstn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "wussten" come from?
"wussten" 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.

Using “wussten”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is W-U-S-S-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈvʊstn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Wüste” - see the side-by-side comparison. wussten vs Wüste
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list