denkbarvsdenkbareWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,469
“denkbar” frequency rank
#43,099
“denkbare” frequency rank
48568
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature denkbar denkbare
Definition vorstellbar, in Gedanken möglich Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs denkbar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set denkbar and denkbare apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
denkbar
8 ch
denkbare

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. denkbar ([ˈdɛŋkbaːɐ̯]) and denkbare ([ˈdɛŋkbaːʁə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “denkbar” sits inside “denkbare”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

denkbar is recorded at frequency rank #5,469, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛŋkbaːɐ̯]. denkbare is at rank #43,099, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛŋkbaːʁə].

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 48568, this pair ranks #1,243,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of denkbar vs denkbare

Shared letters: abdeknr. Private to "denkbar": -. Private to "denkbare": -.

"denkbar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "denkbare" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • denkbarddenkbar · deknbar · denbkar · denkabr · denkbarr · denkbbar · denkbra · denkkbar
  • denkbareddenkbare · deknbare · denbkare · denkabre · denkbaer · denkbarre · denkbbare · denkbrae

Frequency comparison

denkbar#5,469
denkbare#43,099

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "denkbar" and "denkbare" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɛŋkbaːɐ̯] versus [ˈdɛŋkbaːʁə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "denkbar" or "denkbare"?
"denkbar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,469 in our German list, against #43,099 for "denkbare". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering denkbar vs denkbare

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 “denkbar” 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