deutevsdeutenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,447
“deute” frequency rank
#8,190
“deuten” frequency rank
45637
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deute deuten
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs deuten auf ein Objekt weisen; hinweisen, zeigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deute and deuten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
deute
6 ch
deuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deute ([ˈdɔɪ̯tə]) and deuten ([ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) 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) - “deute” sits inside “deuten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deute is recorded at frequency rank #37,447, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔɪ̯tə]. deuten is at rank #8,190, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 45637, this pair ranks #1,346,244 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deute vs deuten

Shared letters: detu. Private to "deute": -. Private to "deuten": n.

"deute" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "deuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deuteddeute · detue · deuet · duete · edute
  • deutenddeuten · detuen · deuetn · deutenn · deutne · deutten · dueten · eduten

Frequency comparison

deute#37,447
deuten#8,190

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deute" and "deuten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɔɪ̯tə] versus [ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deute" or "deuten"?
"deuten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,190 in our German list, against #37,447 for "deute". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deute vs deuten

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 “deute” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list