duften

[ˈdʊftn̩]

/[ˈdʊftn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“duften” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #45,865 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#45,865
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

duften vs Düren
33% similar
duften vs Dünen
33% similar
duften vs duzen
67% similar

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

Key facts for duften
PropertyValue
Headwordduften
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈdʊftn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,865
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “duften” 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). duften 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 duften is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈdʊftn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #45,865 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for duften, with forms such as "dduften", "dfuten", and "dufetn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Düren", "Dünen", "duzen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is duften, spelled D-U-F-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dduften,dfuten,dufetn,dufften,duftenn,duftne,duftten,dutfen,udften

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of duften - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

dduften1dfuten2dufetn2dufften1duftenn1duftne2duftten1dutfen2
Edit distance from "duften"

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 "duften"?
"duften" is spelled D-U-F-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdʊftn̩].
What does "duften" mean?
As a verb, "duften" means: angenehmen Geruch abgeben, verströmen, verbreiten
What words are commonly confused with "duften"?
"duften" is commonly confused with "Düren", "Dünen", "duzen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "duften"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duften" is [ˈdʊftn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "duften" come from?
"duften" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “duften”

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

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