Which to use
“dunkel” is an adjective and “Dunkeln” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,030
- “dunkel” frequency rank
- #7,456
- “Dunkeln” frequency rank
- 10486
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dunkel | Dunkeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne oder mit wenig Licht, lichtlos | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Substantivs Dunkles |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dunkel and Dunkeln apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dunkel and Dunkeln form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “dunkel” sits inside “Dunkeln” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10486, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dunkel is recorded at frequency rank #3,030, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋkl̩]. Dunkeln is at rank #7,456, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdʊŋkl̩n].
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 10486, this pair ranks #1,974,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dunkel" and "Dunkeln" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dunkel vs Dunkeln
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dunkel”; for a noun, it's “Dunkeln”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dunkel” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable