durchfahrenvsdurchführenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“durchfahren” and “durchführen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,690
“durchfahren” frequency rank
#5,697
“durchführen” frequency rank
33387
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature durchfahren durchführen
Definition fahrend durchqueren einen Plan, ein Vorhaben oder einen Befehl in die Tat umsetzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set durchfahren and durchführen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
durchfahren
11 ch
durchführen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. durchfahren ([ˌdʊʁçˈfaːʁən]) and durchführen ([ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən]) 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 - a in “durchfahren” becomes ü in “durchführen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33387, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

durchfahren is recorded at frequency rank #27,690, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌdʊʁçˈfaːʁən]. durchführen is at rank #5,697, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən].

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 33387, this pair ranks #1,687,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of durchfahren vs durchführen

Shared letters: cdefhnru. Private to "durchfahren": a. Private to "durchführen": ü.

"durchfahren" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "durchführen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • durchfahrenddurchfahren · druchfahren · ducrhfahren · durcchfahren · durcfhahren · durchafhren · durchfahern · durchfahhren

Frequency comparison

durchfahren#27,690
durchführen#5,697

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "durchfahren" and "durchführen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌdʊʁçˈfaːʁən] versus [ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "durchfahren" or "durchführen"?
"durchführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,697 in our German list, against #27,690 for "durchfahren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering durchfahren vs durchführen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “durchfahren” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list