Which to use
“dumm” and “dümmer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,472
- “dumm” frequency rank
- #17,265
- “dümmer” frequency rank
- 18737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dumm | dümmer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwach an Verstand, ohne Intelligenz, ohne Können, unwissend | Prädikative und adverbielle Form des Komparativs des Adjektivs dumm |
Where the eye mixes dumm and dümmer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dumm and dümmer
A purely visual mix-up. dumm ([dʊm]) and dümmer ([ˈdʏmɐ]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dumm is recorded at frequency rank #1,472, classified as anadj, pronounced [dʊm]. dümmer is at rank #17,265, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʏmɐ].
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 18737, this pair ranks #1,915,381 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dumm vs dümmer
Shared letters: dm. Private to "dumm": u. Private to "dümmer": erü.
"dumm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "dümmer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dumm ← ddumm · dmum · dum · udmm
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dumm" and "dümmer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "dumm" or "dümmer"?
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 "dumm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dümmer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,915,381 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dumm" and "dümmer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dämmert vs dümmer". 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 #1,915,381 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.