Which to use
“dürfen” is a verb and “Dürren” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #517
- “dürfen” frequency rank
- #35,718
- “Dürren” frequency rank
- 36235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dürfen | Dürren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Erlaubnis haben, etwas zu tun | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Dürre |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dürfen and Dürren apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dürfen is [ˈdʏʁfn̩] while Dürren is [ˈdʏʁən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - f in “dürfen” becomes r in “Dürren”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dürfen is recorded at frequency rank #517, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʏʁfn̩]. Dürren is at rank #35,718, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdʏʁən].
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 36235, this pair ranks #1,620,711 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dürfen vs Dürren
Shared letters: denrü. Private to "dürfen": f. Private to "Dürren": -.
"dürfen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Dürren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dürfen" and "Dürren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dürfen" or "Dürren"?
Remembering dürfen vs Dürren
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dürfen”; for a noun, it's “Dürren”.
- 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