Which to use
“durfte” and “durften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,200
- “durfte” frequency rank
- #4,603
- “durften” frequency rank
- 6803
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | durfte | durften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dürfen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dürfen |
Where the eye mixes durfte and durften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses durfte with durften
A purely visual mix-up. durfte ([ˈdʊʁftə]) and durften ([ˈdʊʁftn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “durfte” sits inside “durften”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6803, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
durfte is recorded at frequency rank #2,200, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁftə]. 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 6803, this pair ranks #1,990,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of durfte vs durften
Shared letters: defrtu. Private to "durfte": -. Private to "durften": n.
"durfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "durften" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "durfte" and "durften" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "durfte" vs "durften" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "durfte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "durften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,990,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "durfte" and "durften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "durften vs dürftest". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,990,402 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.