damvsDämonWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dam is a abbrev, Dämon is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dam” is an abbrev and “Dämon” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#24,288
“dam” frequency rank
#17,264
“Dämon” frequency rank
41552
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dam Dämon
Definition Dekameter Angst machende Macht, böser Geist mit übermenschlichen Kräften

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dam and Dämon apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
dam
5 ch
Dämon

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dam is anabbrev and Dämonanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41552, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dam is recorded at frequency rank #24,288, classified as anabbrev. Dämon is at rank #17,264, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛːmɔn].

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 41552, this pair ranks #1,476,033 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dam vs Dämon

Shared letters: dm. Private to "dam": a. Private to "Dämon": noä.

"dam" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Dämon" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

dam#24,288
Dämon#17,264

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dam" and "Dämon" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dam" is an abbrev and "Dämon" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dam" or "Dämon"?
"Dämon" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,264 in our German list, against #24,288 for "dam". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dam vs Dämon

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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