dünnvsDurWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dünn is a adjective, Dur is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dünn” is an adjective and “Dur” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,934
“dünn” frequency rank
#10,455
“Dur” frequency rank
16389
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dünn Dur
Definition von geringer Dicke Tongeschlecht einer Klangverbindung, deren Charakteristikum eine große Terz im Verhältnis zum Grundton ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dünn and Dur apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
dünn
3 ch
Dur

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dünn is [dʏn] while Dur is [duːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dünn is recorded at frequency rank #5,934, classified as anadj, pronounced [dʏn]. Dur is at rank #10,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [duːɐ̯].

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 16389, this pair ranks #1,936,247 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dünn vs Dur

Shared letters: d. Private to "dünn": . Private to "Dur": ru.

"dünn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Dur" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

dünn#5,934
Dur#10,455

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dünn" and "Dur" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dünn" is an adjective and "Dur" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dünn" or "Dur"?
"dünn" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,934 in our German list, against #10,455 for "Dur". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dünn vs Dur

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dünn”; for a noun, it's “Dur”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dünn” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list