DachsvsDatesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,671
“Dachs” frequency rank
#13,798
“Dates” frequency rank
41469
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Dachs Dates
Definition ein Säugetier mit grauem Fell und markanter weiß-schwarzer Fellzeichnung am Kopf, das in den europäischen Wäldern anzutreffen ist; der Europäische Dachs Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Date

Where the eye mixes Dachs and Dates

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Dachs
5 ch
Dates

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Dachs ([daks]) and Dates ([deɪt͡s]) 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 41469, 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]. Dates is at rank #13,798, tagged as anoun, pronounced [deɪt͡s].

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 41469, this pair ranks #1,478,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Dachs vs Dates

Shared letters: ads. Private to "Dachs": ch. Private to "Dates": et.

"Dachs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Dates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dachsadchs · dacchs · dachhs · dachss · dacsh · dahcs · dcahs · ddachs
  • Datesadtes · daets · datess · datse · dattes · ddates · dtaes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Dachs" and "Dates" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([daks] versus [deɪt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Dachs" or "Dates"?
"Dates" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,798 in our German list, against #27,671 for "Dachs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list