Which to use
“duften” and “durfte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,865
- “duften” frequency rank
- #2,200
- “durfte” frequency rank
- 48065
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | duften | durfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dürfen |
Where the eye mixes duften and durfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: duften vs durfte
A purely visual mix-up. duften ([ˈdʊftn̩]) and durfte ([ˈdʊʁftə]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48065, 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]. durfte is at rank #2,200, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁftə].
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 48065, this pair ranks #1,262,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of duften vs durfte
Shared letters: deftu. Private to "duften": n. Private to "durfte": r.
"duften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "durfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "duften" for "durfte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "duften" vs "durfte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "duften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "durfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,262,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "duften" and "durfte" 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 #1,262,064 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.