Which to use
“daran” is an adverb and “darf” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #382
- “daran” frequency rank
- #293
- “darf” frequency rank
- 675
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | daran | darf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | referenziert einen Gegenstand und bezeichnet die unmittelbare Berührung mit diesem | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs dürfen |
Where the eye mixes daran and darf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between daran and darf
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: daran is [daˈʁan] while darf is [daʁf]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 675, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
daran is recorded at frequency rank #382, classified as anadv, pronounced [daˈʁan]. darf is at rank #293, tagged as averb, pronounced [daʁf].
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 675, this pair ranks #2,005,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of daran vs darf
Shared letters: adr. Private to "daran": n. Private to "darf": f.
"daran" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "darf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "daran" for "darf" ever safe?
Frequency check: "daran" vs "darf" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "daran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "darf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "daran" and "darf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "daran vs duran". 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 #2,005,510 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.