dichtvsdichtemWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,949
“dicht” frequency rank
#42,419
“dichtem” frequency rank
45368
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dicht dichtem
Definition eng, nahe beieinanderliegend, undurchdringlich Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs dicht

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
dicht
7 ch
dichtem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dicht ([dɪçt]) and dichtem ([ˈdɪçtəm]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “dicht” sits inside “dichtem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45368, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dicht is recorded at frequency rank #2,949, classified as anadj, pronounced [dɪçt]. dichtem is at rank #42,419, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɪçtəm].

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 45368, this pair ranks #1,355,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dicht vs dichtem

Shared letters: cdhit. Private to "dicht": -. Private to "dichtem": em.

"dicht" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "dichtem" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dichtdciht · ddicht · diccht · dichht · dichtt · dicth · dihct · idcht
  • dichtemdcihtem · ddichtem · dicchtem · dichetm · dichhtem · dichtemm · dichtme · dichttem

Frequency comparison

dicht#2,949
dichtem#42,419

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dicht" and "dichtem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([dɪçt] versus [ˈdɪçtəm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dicht" or "dichtem"?
"dicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,949 in our German list, against #42,419 for "dichtem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dicht vs dichtem

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 “dicht” 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