Which to use
“Dampf” and “Dampfer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,063
- “Dampf” frequency rank
- #22,297
- “Dampfer” frequency rank
- 32360
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Dampf | Dampfer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gas, das meist noch in Kontakt mit der flüssigen beziehungsweise festen Phase steht, aus der es hervorgegangen ist | Motorschiff, das von einer Dampfmaschine angetrieben wird |
Where the eye mixes Dampf and Dampfer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Dampf and Dampfer
A purely visual mix-up. Dampf ([damp͡f]) and Dampfer ([ˈdamp͡fɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Dampf” sits inside “Dampfer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32360, 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]. Dampfer is at rank #22,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdamp͡fɐ].
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 32360, this pair ranks #1,709,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Dampf vs Dampfer
Shared letters: adfmp. Private to "Dampf": -. Private to "Dampfer": er.
"Dampf" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "Dampfer" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Dampf" and "Dampfer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Dampf" or "Dampfer" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Dampf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Dampfer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,709,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Dampf" and "Dampfer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Dampfer 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 #1,709,312 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.