OrkanvsOrtenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#25,257
“Orkan” frequency rank
#3,064
“Orten” frequency rank
28321
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Orkan Orten
Definition (durch ein außertropisches Tiefdruckgebiet entstandener) Sturm der zwölften Stufe der Beaufort-Skala; äußerst heftiger Sturm Dativ Plural des Substantivs Ort

Where the eye mixes Orkan and Orten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Orkan
5 ch
Orten

Visual trap between Orkan and Orten

A purely visual mix-up. Orkan ([ɔʁˈkaːn]) and Orten ([ˈɔʁtn̩]) 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 28321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Orkan is recorded at frequency rank #25,257, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɔʁˈkaːn]. Orten is at rank #3,064, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔʁtn̩].

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 28321, this pair ranks #1,786,865 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Orkan vs Orten

Shared letters: nor. Private to "Orkan": ak. Private to "Orten": et.

"Orkan" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Orten" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Orkanorakn · orkann · orkkan · orkna · orrkan · rokan
  • Ortenoretn · orrten · ortenn · ortne · ortten · otren

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Orkan" and "Orten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɔʁˈkaːn] versus [ˈɔʁtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Orkan" or "Orten"?
"Orten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,064 in our German list, against #25,257 for "Orkan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Orkan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Orten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,786,865 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Orkan" and "Orten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "orang vs Orkan". 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 #1,786,865 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list