Which to use
“dunkle” and “dunklen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,951
- “dunkle” frequency rank
- #4,111
- “dunklen” frequency rank
- 8062
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dunkle | dunklen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs dunkel | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs dunkel |
Where the eye mixes dunkle and dunklen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: dunkle vs dunklen
A purely visual mix-up. dunkle ([ˈdʊŋklə]) and dunklen ([ˈdʊŋklən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “dunkle” sits inside “dunklen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dunkle is recorded at frequency rank #3,951, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋklə]. dunklen is at rank #4,111, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋklən].
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 8062, this pair ranks #1,985,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dunkle vs dunklen
Shared letters: deklnu. Private to "dunkle": -. Private to "dunklen": -.
"dunkle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "dunklen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dunkle" and "dunklen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "dunkle" vs "dunklen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dunkle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dunklen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dunkle" and "dunklen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Düne vs dunkle". 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 #1,985,777 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.