daivsDateiWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#30,992
“dai” frequency rank
#5,814
“Datei” frequency rank
36806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dai Datei
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs dare auf einem Datenträger gespeicherte und durch einen Namen identifizierte Daten

Where the eye mixes dai and Datei

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

3 ch
dai
5 ch
Datei

Visual trap between dai and Datei

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dai is [ˈdai] while Datei is [daˈtaɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dai is recorded at frequency rank #30,992, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdai]. Datei is at rank #5,814, tagged as anoun, pronounced [daˈtaɪ̯].

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 36806, this pair ranks #1,606,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dai vs Datei

Shared letters: adi. Private to "dai": -. Private to "Datei": et.

"dai" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Datei" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dateiadtei · daeti · datie · dattei · ddatei · dtaei

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dai" and "Datei" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dai" is a verb and "Datei" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "dai" vs "Datei" - which ranks higher?
"Datei" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,814 in our German list, against #30,992 for "dai". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "dai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Datei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,606,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dai" and "Datei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dai vs duc". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,606,231 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list