dass

[das]

/[das]/ conj

The verdict

“dass” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #27 in German word frequency and used as a conjunction.

#27
frequency rank, German
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - drückt eine Folge des Geschehens aus, Art und Weise oder Grad

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dass vs Ds
25% similar
dass vs des
50% similar
dass vs day
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for dass
PropertyValue
Headworddass
LanguageGerman
Part of speechConjunction
IPA[das]
Letters4
Frequency rank#27
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dass” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). dass lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for dass is 4 letters long, classified as a conjunction, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [das]. Corpus data places it at rank #27 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for dass, with forms such as "adss", "daß", and "ddass". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ds", "des", "day", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is dass, spelled D-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    drückt eine Folge des Geschehens aus, Art und Weise oder Grad
  2. 2
    drückt eine Absicht, einen Zweck des Geschehens aus; , feierlich: auf dass
  3. 3
    zur Bildung von Objekt-, Subjekt- und Attributsätzen (jeweils ohne feste Bedeutung, steht nach Ausdrücken der Sicherheit)
  4. 4
    drückt das Fehlen eines bestimmten Umstandes aus
  5. 5
    drückt eine Einschränkung aus
  6. 6
    drückt einen Ersatz eines Umstands aus
  7. 7
    zum Ausdruck der unmittelbaren Vorzeitigkeit, ‚kurz nachdem‘
  8. 8
    drückt Grund/Ursache aus;

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adss,daß,ddass,dsas

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dass - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

adss2daß2ddass1dsas2
Edit distance from "dass"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dass"?
"dass" is spelled D-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is [das].
What does "dass" mean?
As a conjunction, "dass" means: drückt eine Folge des Geschehens aus, Art und Weise oder Grad
What words are commonly confused with "dass"?
"dass" is commonly confused with "Ds", "des", "day". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dass" is [das]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dass" come from?
"dass" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “dass”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is D-A-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [das] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Ds” - see the side-by-side comparison. dass vs Ds
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list