Which to use
“dumme” and “dumpf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,804
- “dumme” frequency rank
- #46,579
- “dumpf” frequency rank
- 50383
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dumme | dumpf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs dumm | gedämpft klingend, mit wenigen Obertönen |
Where the eye mixes dumme and dumpf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dumme and dumpf
A purely visual mix-up. dumme ([ˈdʊmə]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50383, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dumme is recorded at frequency rank #3,804, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊmə]. 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 50383, this pair ranks #1,175,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dumme vs dumpf
Shared letters: dmu. Private to "dumme": e. Private to "dumpf": fp.
"dumme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "dumpf" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dumme" for "dumpf" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dumme" vs "dumpf" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dumme" 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 #1,175,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dumme" 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 #1,175,712 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.