dansvsDungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dans is a preposition, Dung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dans” is a preposition and “Dung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,326
“dans” frequency rank
#45,866
“Dung” frequency rank
61192
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dans Dung
Definition in, nach, pro, zu, bei ein Gemisch von Fäkalien zum Fördern des Wachstums von (Nutz-)Pflanzen

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
dans
4 ch
Dung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dans is [dɑ̃] while Dung is [dʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dans is recorded at frequency rank #15,326, classified as aprep, pronounced [dɑ̃]. Dung is at rank #45,866, tagged as anoun, pronounced [dʊŋ].

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 61192, this pair ranks #758,873 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dans vs Dung

Shared letters: dn. Private to "dans": as. Private to "Dung": gu.

"dans" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Dung" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dansadns · danns · danss · dasn · ddans · dnas
  • Dungddung · dnug · dugn · dungg · dunng · udng

Frequency comparison

dans#15,326
Dung#45,866

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dans" and "Dung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dans" is a preposition and "Dung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dans" or "Dung"?
"dans" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,326 in our German list, against #45,866 for "Dung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dans vs Dung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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