dachtenvsdichtesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dachten is a verb, dichtes is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dachten” is a verb and “dichtes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,891
“dachten” frequency rank
#31,507
“dichtes” frequency rank
39398
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dachten dichtes
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs denken Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs dicht

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
dachten
7 ch
dichtes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dachten is [ˈdaxtn̩] while dichtes is [ˈdɪçtəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dachten is recorded at frequency rank #7,891, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdaxtn̩]. dichtes is at rank #31,507, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɪçtəs].

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 39398, this pair ranks #1,537,937 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dachten vs dichtes

Shared letters: cdeht. Private to "dachten": an. Private to "dichtes": is.

"dachten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "dichtes" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dachtenadchten · dacchten · dachetn · dachhten · dachtenn · dachtne · dachtten · dacthen
  • dichtesdcihtes · ddichtes · dicchtes · dichets · dichhtes · dichtess · dichtse · dichttes

Frequency comparison

dachten#7,891
dichtes#31,507

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dachten" and "dichtes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dachten" is a verb and "dichtes" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dachten" or "dichtes"?
"dachten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,891 in our German list, against #31,507 for "dichtes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dachten vs dichtes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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