Which to use
“dann” is an adverb and “denn” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #56
- “dann” frequency rank
- #105
- “denn” frequency rank
- 161
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dann | denn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt oder einer späteren Zeitspanne in der baldigen Zukunft | leitet einen Hauptsatz ein, der den Grund für das, was vorher festgestellt wurde, liefert |
Where the eye mixes dann and denn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dann with denn
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dann is [dan] while denn is [dɛn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “dann” becomes e in “denn”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs conjunction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dann is recorded at frequency rank #56, classified as anadv, pronounced [dan]. denn is at rank #105, tagged as aconj, pronounced [dɛn].
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 161, this pair ranks #2,006,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dann vs denn
Shared letters: dn. Private to "dann": a. Private to "denn": e.
"dann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "denn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dann" and "denn" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "dann" vs "denn" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dann" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "denn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dann" and "denn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denn vs dess". 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 #2,006,209 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.