blankenvsblindenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,647
“blanken” frequency rank
#13,787
“blinden” frequency rank
52434
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blanken blinden
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs blank Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs blind

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set blanken and blinden apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
blanken
7 ch
blinden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. blanken ([ˈblaŋkn̩]) and blinden ([ˈblɪndn̩]) 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 52434, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blanken is recorded at frequency rank #38,647, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈblaŋkn̩]. blinden is at rank #13,787, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈblɪndn̩].

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 52434, this pair ranks #1,097,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of blanken vs blinden

Shared letters: beln. Private to "blanken": ak. Private to "blinden": di.

"blanken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "blinden" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • blankenbalnken · bblanken · blaknen · blanekn · blankenn · blankken · blankne · blannken
  • blindenbblinden · bilnden · blidnen · blindden · blindenn · blindne · blinedn · blinnden

Frequency comparison

blanken#38,647
blinden#13,787

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blanken" and "blinden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈblaŋkn̩] versus [ˈblɪndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "blanken" or "blinden"?
"blinden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,787 in our German list, against #38,647 for "blanken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering blanken vs blinden

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 “blanken” 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