Which to use
“duften” and “duzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,865
- “duften” frequency rank
- #35,717
- “duzen” frequency rank
- 81582
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | duften | duzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten | mit du anreden |
Where the eye mixes duften and duzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. duften runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against duzen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses duften with duzen
A purely visual mix-up. duften ([ˈdʊftn̩]) and duzen ([ˈduːt͡sn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81582, 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]. duzen is at rank #35,717, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈduːt͡sn̩].
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 81582, this pair ranks #172,984 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of duften vs duzen
Shared letters: denu. Private to "duften": ft. Private to "duzen": z.
"duften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "duzen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "duften" for "duzen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "duften" or "duzen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "duften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,984 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "duften" and "duzen" 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 #172,984 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.