Which to use
“den” is an unknown and “duc” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10
- “den” frequency rank
- #48,075
- “duc” frequency rank
- 48085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | den | duc |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum des bestimmten Artikels der | der Herzog, der Führer |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set den and duc apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: den is [deːn] while duc is [duk]. 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 (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
den is recorded at frequency rank #10, classified as anunknown, pronounced [deːn]. duc is at rank #48,075, tagged as anoun, pronounced [duk].
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 48085, this pair ranks #1,261,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of den vs duc
Shared letters: d. Private to "den": en. Private to "duc": cu.
"den" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "duc" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "den" and "duc" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "den" or "duc"?
Remembering den vs duc
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “den”; for a noun, it's “duc”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “den” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable