Which to use
“dauern” is a verb and “Daumen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,883
- “dauern” frequency rank
- #4,782
- “Daumen” frequency rank
- 7665
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dauern | Daumen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | über bestimmten Zeitraum erstrecken, für eine bestimmt Zeitspanne anhalten, währen | Finger der Hand, der nur aus zwei Fingergliedknochen besteht und aufgrund seiner Position und Beweglichkeit den anderen Fingern gegenübergestellt werden kann |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dauern and Daumen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dauern is [ˈdaʊ̯ɐn] while Daumen is [ˈdaʊ̯mən]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7665, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dauern is recorded at frequency rank #2,883, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdaʊ̯ɐn]. Daumen is at rank #4,782, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdaʊ̯mən].
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 7665, this pair ranks #1,987,357 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dauern vs Daumen
Shared letters: adenu. Private to "dauern": r. Private to "Daumen": m.
"dauern" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCC · "Daumen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dauern" and "Daumen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dauern" or "Daumen"?
Remembering dauern vs Daumen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dauern”; for a noun, it's “Daumen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dauern” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable