deckenvsdecktenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#4,187
“decken” frequency rank
#47,305
“deckten” frequency rank
51492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decken deckten
Definition (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs decken

Where the eye mixes decken and deckten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
decken
7 ch
deckten

Look-alike desk: decken vs deckten

A purely visual mix-up. decken ([ˈdɛkn̩]) and deckten ([ˈdɛktn̩]) 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 51492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decken is recorded at frequency rank #4,187, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdɛkn̩]. deckten is at rank #47,305, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdɛktn̩].

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 51492, this pair ranks #1,133,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decken vs deckten

Shared letters: cdekn. Private to "decken": -. Private to "deckten": t.

"decken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "deckten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deckendceken · ddecken · deccken · decekn · deckenn · deckken · deckne · dekcen
  • decktendcekten · ddeckten · decckten · decketn · deckkten · decktenn · decktne · decktten

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "decken" and "deckten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɛkn̩] versus [ˈdɛktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decken" or "deckten"?
"decken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,187 in our German list, against #47,305 for "deckten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "decken" and "deckten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "deckten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,133,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decken" and "deckten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deckten vs dicksten". 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 #1,133,481 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