Which to use
“dehnen” is a verb and “dünnen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,818
- “dehnen” frequency rank
- #11,414
- “dünnen” frequency rank
- 38232
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dehnen | dünnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ausweiten, strecken, vergrößern | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs dünn |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dehnen and dünnen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dehnen is [ˈdeːnən] while dünnen is [ˈdʏnən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38232, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dehnen is recorded at frequency rank #26,818, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdeːnən]. dünnen is at rank #11,414, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʏnən].
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 38232, this pair ranks #1,569,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dehnen vs dünnen
Shared letters: den. Private to "dehnen": h. Private to "dünnen": ü.
"dehnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "dünnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dehnen ← ddehnen · dehenn · dehhnen · dehnenn · dehnne · dehnnen · denhen · dhenen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dehnen" and "dünnen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dehnen" or "dünnen"?
Remembering dehnen vs dünnen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dehnen”; for an adjective, it's “dünnen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dehnen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable