Which to use
“Dampf” is a noun and “dampfen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,063
- “Dampf” frequency rank
- #35,699
- “dampfen” frequency rank
- 45762
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Dampf | dampfen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gas, das meist noch in Kontakt mit der flüssigen beziehungsweise festen Phase steht, aus der es hervorgegangen ist | Dampf entwickeln, Dampf ausstoßen |
Where the eye mixes Dampf and dampfen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Dampf vs dampfen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Dampf is [damp͡f] while dampfen is [ˈdamp͡fn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Dampf” sits inside “dampfen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Dampf is recorded at frequency rank #10,063, classified as anoun, pronounced [damp͡f]. dampfen is at rank #35,699, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdamp͡fn̩].
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 45762, this pair ranks #1,342,065 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Dampf vs dampfen
Shared letters: adfmp. Private to "Dampf": -. Private to "dampfen": en.
"Dampf" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "dampfen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Dampf" and "dampfen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Dampf" or "dampfen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Dampf" and "dampfen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Dampf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dampfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,342,065 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Dampf" and "dampfen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dampfen vs dumpfe". 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 #1,342,065 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.