Which to use
“duften” and “dürfen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,865
- “duften” frequency rank
- #517
- “dürfen” frequency rank
- 46382
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | duften | dürfen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten | die Erlaubnis haben, etwas zu tun |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set duften and dürfen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. duften ([ˈdʊftn̩]) and dürfen ([ˈdʏʁfn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
duften is recorded at frequency rank #45,865, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊftn̩]. dürfen is at rank #517, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʏʁfn̩].
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 46382, this pair ranks #1,320,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of duften vs dürfen
Shared letters: defn. Private to "duften": tu. Private to "dürfen": rü.
"duften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "dürfen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- duften ← dduften · dfuten · dufetn · dufften · duftenn · duftne · duftten · dutfen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "duften" and "dürfen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "duften" or "dürfen"?
Remembering duften vs dürfen
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 “duften” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable