DNAvsDurTell them apart

Which to use

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

#5,817
“DNA” frequency rank
#10,455
“Dur” frequency rank
16272
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature DNA Dur
Definition Desoxyribonukleinsäure, DNS Tongeschlecht einer Klangverbindung, deren Charakteristikum eine große Terz im Verhältnis zum Grundton ist

Where the eye mixes DNA and Dur

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
DNA
3 ch
Dur

Look-alike desk: DNA vs Dur

A purely visual mix-up. DNA ([ˌdeːʔɛnˈʔaː]) and Dur ([duːɐ̯]) 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 16272, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

DNA is recorded at frequency rank #5,817, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌdeːʔɛnˈʔaː]. Dur is at rank #10,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [duːɐ̯].

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 16272, this pair ranks #1,937,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of DNA vs Dur

Shared letters: d. Private to "DNA": an. Private to "Dur": ru.

"DNA" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "Dur" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "DNA" and "Dur" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌdeːʔɛnˈʔaː] versus [duːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "DNA" vs "Dur" - which ranks higher?
"DNA" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,817 in our German list, against #10,455 for "Dur". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "DNA" and "Dur" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "DNA" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Dur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,937,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "DNA" and "Dur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Dur vs duran". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,937,211 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list