decken

[ˈdɛkn̩]

/[ˈdɛkn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“decken” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #4,187 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,187
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

decken vs denen
67% similar
decken vs deren
67% similar
decken vs denke
67% similar

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

Key facts for decken
PropertyValue
Headworddecken
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈdɛkn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,187
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “decken” 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). decken 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 decken is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈdɛkn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,187 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for decken, with forms such as "dceken", "ddecken", and "deccken". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "denen", "deren", "denke", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is decken, spelled D-E-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen
  2. 2
    (Tisch) mit Tischdecke (oder auch nicht), Geschirr und Besteck fürs Essen vorbereiten
  3. 3
    bedecken, zudecken
  4. 4
    (von Landschaftselementen) vor feindlichen Blicken und Angriffen schützen
  5. 5
    schützen
  6. 6
    bewachen
  7. 7
    erlauben
  8. 8
    mit einer zweifelhaften Aussage entlasten
  9. 9
    eine Einlösung oder Bezahlung gewährleisten
  10. 10
    den Untergrund nicht durchscheinen lassen
  11. 11
    begatten
  12. 12
    deckungsgleich (kongruent) sein
  13. 13
    durch Übereinstimmung einen Zusammenhang nahelegen
  14. 14
    sich mit den Armen und gegebenenfalls Gegenständen vor Treffern schützen
  15. 15
    die Versorgung/den Bedarf von etwas (beispielsweise einer Ware, Material, Rohstoffen, Arbeitskräften, Energie, Nährstoffen) in ausreichender Menge herstellen/sichern

Synonyms

eindeckenbedeckenzudeckenverdeckenabdeckenerfassenerlaubenin Schutz nehmenbegattenbesteigenbespringenbeschälentretendeckungsgleichübereinstimmen

Antonyms

abdeckenabräumen

This word in other languages

cover(English)cubrir(Español)couvrir(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dceken,ddecken,deccken,decekn,deckenn,deckken,deckne,dekcen,edcken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decken - 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.

dceken2ddecken1deccken1decekn2deckenn1deckken1deckne2dekcen2
Edit distance from "decken"

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 "decken"?
"decken" is spelled D-E-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdɛkn̩].
What does "decken" mean?
As a verb, "decken" means: (Dach) mit der wasserabweisenden Außenschicht versehen
What words are commonly confused with "decken"?
"decken" is commonly confused with "denen", "deren", "denke". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decken" is [ˈdɛkn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "decken" come from?
"decken" 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 “decken”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is D-E-C-K-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈdɛkn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “denen” - see the side-by-side comparison. decken vs denen
  • 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