dauernvsDaunWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dauern is a verb, Daun is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dauern” is a verb and “Daun” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,883
“dauern” frequency rank
#37,444
“Daun” frequency rank
40327
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dauern Daun
Definition über bestimmten Zeitraum erstrecken, für eine bestimmt Zeitspanne anhalten, währen eine Stadt in Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutschland

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dauern and Daun apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
dauern
4 ch
Daun

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dauern is [ˈdaʊ̯ɐn] while Daun is [daʊ̯n]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40327, 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]. Daun is at rank #37,444, tagged as aname, pronounced [daʊ̯n].

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 40327, this pair ranks #1,511,684 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dauern vs Daun

Shared letters: adnu. Private to "dauern": er. Private to "Daun": -.

"dauern" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCC  ·  "Daun" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dauernaduern · daeurn · dauenr · dauernn · dauerrn · dauren · ddauern · duaern
  • Daunadun · danu · daunn · ddaun · duan

Frequency comparison

dauern#2,883
Daun#37,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dauern" and "Daun" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dauern" is a verb and "Daun" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dauern" or "Daun"?
"dauern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,883 in our German list, against #37,444 for "Daun". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dauern vs Daun

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dauern”; for a name, it's “Daun”.
  • 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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list