Which to use
“dunklen” and “dunkler” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,111
- “dunklen” frequency rank
- #9,004
- “dunkler” frequency rank
- 13115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dunklen | dunkler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs dunkel | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs dunkel |
Where the eye mixes dunklen and dunkler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dunklen with dunkler
A purely visual mix-up. dunklen ([ˈdʊŋklən]) and dunkler ([ˈdʊŋklɐ]) 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 - n in “dunklen” becomes r in “dunkler”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dunklen is recorded at frequency rank #4,111, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋklən]. dunkler is at rank #9,004, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdʊŋklɐ].
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 13115, this pair ranks #1,960,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dunklen vs dunkler
Shared letters: deklnu. Private to "dunklen": -. Private to "dunkler": r.
"dunklen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "dunkler" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dunklen" and "dunkler" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "dunklen" or "dunkler" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dunklen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dunkler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dunklen" and "dunkler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dunkler vs dunkleren". 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 #1,960,029 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.