deckenvsdehnenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,187
“decken” frequency rank
#26,818
“dehnen” frequency rank
31005
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decken dehnen
Definition (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen etwas ausweiten, strecken, vergrößern

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
decken
6 ch
dehnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decken ([ˈdɛkn̩]) and dehnen ([ˈdeːnən]) 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 31005, 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]. dehnen is at rank #26,818, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdeːnən].

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 31005, this pair ranks #1,736,675 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decken vs dehnen

Shared letters: den. Private to "decken": ck. Private to "dehnen": h.

"decken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "dehnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deckendceken · ddecken · deccken · decekn · deckenn · deckken · deckne · dekcen
  • dehnenddehnen · dehenn · dehhnen · dehnenn · dehnne · dehnnen · denhen · dhenen

Frequency comparison

decken#4,187
dehnen#26,818

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decken" and "dehnen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɛkn̩] versus [ˈdeːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decken" or "dehnen"?
"decken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,187 in our German list, against #26,818 for "dehnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering decken vs dehnen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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