Which to use
“dürfen” and “durften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #517
- “dürfen” frequency rank
- #4,603
- “durften” frequency rank
- 5120
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dürfen | durften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Erlaubnis haben, etwas zu tun | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dürfen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dürfen and durften apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dürfen and durften form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dürfen is recorded at frequency rank #517, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʏʁfn̩]. durften is at rank #4,603, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁftn̩].
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 5120, this pair ranks #1,995,737 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dürfen" and "durften" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dürfen vs durften
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 “dürfen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable