BäckervsBunkerWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#8,187
“Bäcker” frequency rank
#11,838
“Bunker” frequency rank
20025
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bäcker Bunker
Definition Handwerker, der Backwaren wie Brot, Kuchen und dergleichen herstellt bombensicherer/volltreffersicherer Unterstand für Menschen und Kriegsgerät

Where the eye mixes Bäcker and Bunker

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Bäcker
6 ch
Bunker

Visual trap between Bäcker and Bunker

A purely visual mix-up. Bäcker ([ˈbɛkɐ]) and Bunker ([ˈbʊŋkɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bäcker is recorded at frequency rank #8,187, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛkɐ]. Bunker is at rank #11,838, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbʊŋkɐ].

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 20025, this pair ranks #1,902,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bäcker vs Bunker

Shared letters: bekr. Private to "Bäcker": . Private to "Bunker": nu.

"Bäcker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Bunker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bunkerbbunker · bnuker · bukner · bunekr · bunkerr · bunkker · bunkre · bunnker

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Bäcker" and "Bunker" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɛkɐ] versus [ˈbʊŋkɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Bäcker" or "Bunker"?
"Bäcker" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,187 in our German list, against #11,838 for "Bunker". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Bäcker" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Bunker" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,902,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Bäcker" and "Bunker" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bucket vs Bunker". 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 #1,902,095 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list