DinkelvsdonkeyWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,475
“Dinkel” frequency rank
#46,575
“donkey” frequency rank
87050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Dinkel donkey
Definition Getreideart, die auch in rauen Lagen und auf „armen“ Böden wächst Esel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Dinkel and donkey apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Dinkel
6 ch
donkey

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Dinkel ([ˈdɪŋkl̩]) and donkey ([ˈdɒŋkɪ]) 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 87050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Dinkel is recorded at frequency rank #40,475, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɪŋkl̩]. donkey is at rank #46,575, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɒŋkɪ].

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 87050, this pair ranks #85,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Dinkel vs donkey

Shared letters: dekn. Private to "Dinkel": il. Private to "donkey": oy.

"Dinkel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "donkey" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dinkelddinkel · diknel · dinekl · dinkell · dinkkel · dinkle · dinnkel · dnikel
  • donkeyddonkey · dnokey · dokney · doneky · donkeyy · donkkey · donkye · donnkey

Frequency comparison

Dinkel#40,475
donkey#46,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Dinkel" and "donkey" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɪŋkl̩] versus [ˈdɒŋkɪ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Dinkel" or "donkey"?
"Dinkel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,475 in our German list, against #46,575 for "donkey". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Dinkel vs donkey

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 “Dinkel” 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