DachsvsdachteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Dachs is a noun, dachte is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Dachs” is a noun and “dachte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,671
“Dachs” frequency rank
#658
“dachte” frequency rank
28329
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Dachs dachte
Definition ein Säugetier mit grauem Fell und markanter weiß-schwarzer Fellzeichnung am Kopf, das in den europäischen Wäldern anzutreffen ist; der Europäische Dachs 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs denken

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Dachs
6 ch
dachte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Dachs is [daks] while dachte is [ˈdaxtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28329, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Dachs is recorded at frequency rank #27,671, classified as anoun, pronounced [daks]. dachte is at rank #658, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdaxtə].

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 28329, this pair ranks #1,786,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Dachs vs dachte

Shared letters: acdh. Private to "Dachs": s. Private to "dachte": et.

"Dachs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "dachte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dachsadchs · dacchs · dachhs · dachss · dacsh · dahcs · dcahs · ddachs
  • dachteadchte · dacchte · dachet · dachhte · dachtte · dacthe · dahcte · dcahte

Frequency comparison

Dachs#27,671
dachte#658

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Dachs" and "dachte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Dachs" is a noun and "dachte" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Dachs" or "dachte"?
"dachte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #658 in our German list, against #27,671 for "Dachs". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Dachs vs dachte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Dachs”; for a verb, it's “dachte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Dachs” 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