Which to use
“Defekt” and “Defekten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,849
- “Defekt” frequency rank
- #24,674
- “Defekten” frequency rank
- 33523
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Defekt | Defekten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fehlerhafte Stelle, Funktionsfehler | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Defekt |
Where the eye mixes Defekt and Defekten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Defekt runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against Defekten's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Defekt with Defekten
A purely visual mix-up. Defekt ([deˈfɛkt]) and Defekten ([deˈfɛktn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Defekt” sits inside “Defekten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Defekt is recorded at frequency rank #8,849, classified as anoun, pronounced [deˈfɛkt]. Defekten is at rank #24,674, tagged as anoun, pronounced [deˈfɛktn̩].
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 33523, this pair ranks #1,684,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Defekt vs Defekten
Shared letters: defkt. Private to "Defekt": -. Private to "Defekten": n.
"Defekt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "Defekten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Defekt" for "Defekten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Defekt" or "Defekten"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Defekt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Defekten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,684,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Defekt" and "Defekten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deckten vs Defekten". 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 #1,684,124 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.