duldenvsduzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,272
“dulden” frequency rank
#35,717
“duzen” frequency rank
49989
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dulden duzen
Definition mit einem Zustand oder einem Verhalten einverstanden sein, wenn man sich in der Position befindet es unterbinden zu können mit du anreden

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
dulden
5 ch
duzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dulden ([ˈdʊldn̩]) 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 49989, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dulden is recorded at frequency rank #14,272, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊldn̩]. 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 49989, this pair ranks #1,190,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dulden vs duzen

Shared letters: denu. Private to "dulden": l. Private to "duzen": z.

"dulden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "duzen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • duldenddulden · dluden · dudlen · duldden · duldenn · duldne · duledn · dullden
  • duzendduzen · duezn · duzenn · duzne · duzzen · dzuen · udzen

Frequency comparison

dulden#14,272
duzen#35,717

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dulden" and "duzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdʊldn̩] versus [ˈduːt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dulden" or "duzen"?
"dulden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,272 in our German list, against #35,717 for "duzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dulden vs duzen

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 “dulden” 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