durchmachenvsdurchsuchenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,305
“durchmachen” frequency rank
#13,341
“durchsuchen” frequency rank
35646
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature durchmachen durchsuchen
Definition etwas miterleben, etwas durchlaufen innerhalb eines bestimmten Bereiches gründlich suchen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set durchmachen and durchsuchen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
durchmachen
11 ch
durchsuchen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. durchmachen ([ˈdʊʁçˌmaxn̩]) and durchsuchen ([dʊʁçˈzuːxn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35646, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

durchmachen is recorded at frequency rank #22,305, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçˌmaxn̩]. durchsuchen is at rank #13,341, tagged as averb, pronounced [dʊʁçˈzuːxn̩].

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 35646, this pair ranks #1,635,027 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of durchmachen vs durchsuchen

Shared letters: cdehnru. Private to "durchmachen": am. Private to "durchsuchen": s.

"durchmachen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "durchsuchen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • durchmachenddurchmachen · druchmachen · ducrhmachen · durcchmachen · durchamchen · durchhmachen · durchmacchen · durchmacehn
  • durchsuchenddurchsuchen · druchsuchen · ducrhsuchen · durcchsuchen · durchhsuchen · durchscuhen · durchssuchen · durchsucchen

Frequency comparison

durchmachen#22,305
durchsuchen#13,341

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "durchmachen" and "durchsuchen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdʊʁçˌmaxn̩] versus [dʊʁçˈzuːxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "durchmachen" or "durchsuchen"?
"durchsuchen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,341 in our German list, against #22,305 for "durchmachen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering durchmachen vs durchsuchen

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 “durchmachen” 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