Which to use
“dunklem” and “dunklen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,516
- “dunklem” frequency rank
- #4,111
- “dunklen” frequency rank
- 34627
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dunklem | dunklen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs dunkel | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs dunkel |
Where the eye mixes dunklem and dunklen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dunklem and dunklen
A purely visual mix-up. dunklem ([ˈdʊŋkləm]) 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 a single letter - m in “dunklem” becomes n in “dunklen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34627, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dunklem is recorded at frequency rank #30,516, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋkləm]. 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 34627, this pair ranks #1,658,937 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dunklem vs dunklen
Shared letters: deklnu. Private to "dunklem": m. Private to "dunklen": -.
"dunklem" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "dunklen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dunklem" for "dunklen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dunklem" vs "dunklen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dunklem" 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 #1,658,937 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dunklem" and "dunklen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dunklem vs dunklere". 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 #1,658,937 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.