datavsDativTell them apart

Which to use

“data” and “Dativ” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,468
“data” frequency rank
#27,674
“Dativ” frequency rank
33142
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature data Dativ
Definition Bezeichnung eines bestimmten Tages im Kalender; Datum Wem-Fall, (im Deutschen und Lateinischen) 3. Fall (Kasus)

Where the eye mixes data and Dativ

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
data
5 ch
Dativ

Visual trap between data and Dativ

A purely visual mix-up. data ([ˈdaːta]) and Dativ ([ˈdaːtiːf]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

data is recorded at frequency rank #5,468, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈdaːta]. Dativ is at rank #27,674, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdaːtiːf].

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 33142, this pair ranks #1,692,379 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of data vs Dativ

Shared letters: adt. Private to "data": -. Private to "Dativ": iv.

"data" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Dativ" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dataadta · daat · datta · ddata · dtaa
  • Dativadtiv · daitv · dativv · dattiv · datvi · ddativ · dtaiv

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "data" and "Dativ" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdaːta] versus [ˈdaːtiːf]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "data" vs "Dativ" - which ranks higher?
"data" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,468 in our German list, against #27,674 for "Dativ". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "data" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Dativ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,692,379 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "data" and "Dativ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dai vs Dativ". 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 #1,692,379 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list