Which to use
“dumm” and “dumpf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,472
- “dumm” frequency rank
- #46,579
- “dumpf” frequency rank
- 48051
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dumm | dumpf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwach an Verstand, ohne Intelligenz, ohne Können, unwissend | gedämpft klingend, mit wenigen Obertönen |
Where the eye mixes dumm and dumpf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dumm and dumpf
A purely visual mix-up. dumm ([dʊm]) and dumpf ([dʊmp͡f]) 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 48051, 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]. dumpf is at rank #46,579, tagged as anadj, pronounced [dʊmp͡f].
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 48051, this pair ranks #1,262,594 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dumm vs dumpf
Shared letters: dmu. Private to "dumm": -. Private to "dumpf": fp.
"dumm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "dumpf" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dumm" and "dumpf" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "dumm" vs "dumpf" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "dumpf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,262,594 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dumm" and "dumpf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Dumas vs dumpf". 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 #1,262,594 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.