BänkevsBankenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,561
“Bänke” frequency rank
#2,581
“Banken” frequency rank
24142
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bänke Banken
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Bank Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Bank

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Bänke and Banken apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Bänke
6 ch
Banken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Bänke ([ˈbɛŋkə]) and Banken ([ˈbaŋkn̩]) 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 24142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bänke is recorded at frequency rank #21,561, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛŋkə]. Banken is at rank #2,581, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbaŋkn̩].

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 24142, this pair ranks #1,851,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bänke vs Banken

Shared letters: bekn. Private to "Bänke": ä. Private to "Banken": a.

"Bänke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Banken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bankenabnken · baknen · banekn · bankenn · bankken · bankne · bannken · bbanken

Frequency comparison

Bänke#21,561
Banken#2,581

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Bänke" and "Banken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɛŋkə] versus [ˈbaŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Bänke" or "Banken"?
"Banken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,581 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 Bänke vs Banken

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 “Bänke” 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