deckenvsDeckungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: decken is a verb, Deckung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“decken” is a verb and “Deckung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,187
“decken” frequency rank
#7,742
“Deckung” frequency rank
11929
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decken Deckung
Definition (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen Schutz durch ein Objekt davor, gesehen und/oder direkt angegriffen zu werden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decken and Deckung apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
decken
7 ch
Deckung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decken is [ˈdɛkn̩] while Deckung is [ˈdɛkʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11929, 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]. Deckung is at rank #7,742, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛkʊŋ].

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 11929, this pair ranks #1,967,159 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decken vs Deckung

Shared letters: cdekn. Private to "decken": -. Private to "Deckung": gu.

"decken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Deckung" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deckendceken · ddecken · deccken · decekn · deckenn · deckken · deckne · dekcen
  • Deckungdcekung · ddeckung · decckung · deckkung · decknug · deckugn · deckungg · deckunng

Frequency comparison

decken#4,187
Deckung#7,742

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decken" and "Deckung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "decken" is a verb and "Deckung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "decken" or "Deckung"?
"decken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,187 in our German list, against #7,742 for "Deckung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering decken vs Deckung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “decken”; for a noun, it's “Deckung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decken” 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