BananevsBänkeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,103
“Banane” frequency rank
#21,561
“Bänke” frequency rank
34664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Banane Bänke
Definition längliche, meist gelbe tropische Frucht Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Bank

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Banane and Bänke apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Banane
5 ch
Bänke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Banane ([baˈnaːnə]) and Bänke ([ˈbɛŋkə]) 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 34664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Banane is recorded at frequency rank #13,103, classified as anoun, pronounced [baˈnaːnə]. Bänke is at rank #21,561, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛŋkə].

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 34664, this pair ranks #1,658,123 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Banane vs Bänke

Shared letters: ben. Private to "Banane": a. Private to "Bänke": .

"Banane" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "Bänke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bananeabnane · baanne · banaen · bannae · bannane · bbanane · bnaane

Frequency comparison

Banane#13,103
Bänke#21,561

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Banane" and "Bänke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([baˈnaːnə] versus [ˈbɛŋkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Banane" or "Bänke"?
"Banane" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,103 in our German list, against #21,561 for "Bänke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Banane vs Bänke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Banane” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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