DatenvsDatumTell them apart

Which to use

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

#808
“Daten” frequency rank
#3,303
“Datum” frequency rank
4111
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Daten Datum
Definition Sammlung ermittelter/gewonnener Messwerte oder auch statistischer Angaben zu etwas Angabe des Kalendertages

Where the eye mixes Daten and Datum

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

5 ch
Daten
5 ch
Datum

Why the eye confuses Daten with Datum

A purely visual mix-up. Daten ([ˈdaːtn̩]) and Datum ([ˈdaːtʊm]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4111, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Daten is recorded at frequency rank #808, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈdaːtn̩]. Datum is at rank #3,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdaːtʊm].

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 4111, this pair ranks #1,998,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Daten vs Datum

Shared letters: adt. Private to "Daten": en. Private to "Datum": mu.

"Daten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Datum" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Datenadten · daetn · datenn · datne · datten · ddaten · dtaen
  • Datumadtum · datmu · dattum · datumm · dautm · ddatum · dtaum

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Daten" and "Datum" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdaːtn̩] versus [ˈdaːtʊm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Daten" or "Datum" show up more?
"Daten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #808 in our German list, against #3,303 for "Datum". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Daten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Datum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,998,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Daten" and "Datum" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Daten vs duften". 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 #1,998,559 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