Which to use
“deuten” and “duften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,190
- “deuten” frequency rank
- #45,865
- “duften” frequency rank
- 54055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deuten | duften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf ein Objekt weisen; hinweisen, zeigen | angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten |
Where the eye mixes deuten and duften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. deuten (CVVCVC) and duften (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: deuten vs duften
A purely visual mix-up. deuten ([ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) and duften ([ˈdʊftn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54055, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
deuten is recorded at frequency rank #8,190, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]. duften is at rank #45,865, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊftn̩].
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 54055, this pair ranks #1,033,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of deuten vs duften
Shared letters: dentu. Private to "deuten": -. Private to "duften": f.
"deuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "duften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "deuten" and "duften" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "deuten" vs "duften" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "deuten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,033,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "deuten" and "duften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "duften vs Dukaten". 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 #1,033,916 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.