dunkel
[ˈdʊŋkl̩]
The verdict
“dunkel” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,030 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #3,030
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ohne oder mit wenig Licht, lichtlos
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dunkel |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈdʊŋkl̩] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #3,030 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dunkel” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for dunkel is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈdʊŋkl̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,030 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for dunkel, with forms such as "ddunkel", "dnukel", and "duknel". 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, "dünne", "dunkle", "dünnen", 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 explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is dunkel, spelled D-U-N-K-E-L.
Definition
- 1ohne oder mit wenig Licht, lichtlos
- 2im Farbton mehr oder weniger kräftig
- 3tief tönend
- 4unbestimmt, ungewiss
- 5unklar, nicht vollständig verständlich, ersichtlich
- 6verdächtig, zwielichtig
- 7düster, unerfreulich, trostlos
- 8phonetisches Merkmal der hinteren Vokale
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddunkel,dnukel,duknel,dunekl,dunkell,dunkkel,dunnkel,udnkel
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dunkel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "dunkel"?
What does "dunkel" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "dunkel"?
How do you pronounce "dunkel"?
What language does "dunkel" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “dunkel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is D-U-N-K-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈdʊŋkl̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dünne” - see the side-by-side comparison. dunkel vs dünne
- 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.