düster

[ˈdyːstɐ]

/[ˈdyːstɐ]/ adj

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

The verdict

“düster” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #14,783. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,783
frequency rank, German
2,764
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - schlecht beleuchtet, von wenig Licht erhellt

Corpus desk

Index DE-duster · düster · German

düster · rank #14,783 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,783
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,764
  • PHOTO-FINISH dynastie

Nearest frequency peer: dynastie (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „düster“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „düster“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

düster vs düstere
86% similar
düster vs düsteren
75% similar
düster vs düsterer
75% similar

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

Key facts for düster
PropertyValue
Headworddüster
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈdyːstɐ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,783
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „düster“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.düsterliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „dynastie“ (#14,782), „early“ (#14,784), „DW“ (#14,781). Unter 2,764 „D“-Lemmata liegt „düster“ bei #14,783. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around düster (IPA [ˈdyːstɐ]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,783 among 2,764 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for düster, with forms such as "ddüster", "dsüter", and "düsetr". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "düstere", "düsteren", "düsterer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is düster, spelled D-Ü-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    schlecht beleuchtet, von wenig Licht erhellt
  2. 2
    schwer einzuschätzen, aber unheimlich bis bedrohlich gedeutet
  3. 3
    voller negativer, schlimmer Gedanken/Befürchtungen
  4. 4
    schwer einzuschätzen und deshalb undeutlich

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how düster appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In der Nacht ist es düster.
  2. Sie saßen in der düstersten Ecke des Lokals.

Antonyms

gutbeleuchtethellhellerleuchtetberuhigendfreundlichoptimistischsicherklar

This word in other languages

dark(English)oscuro(Español)sombre(Français)escuro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddüster
  • dsüter
  • düsetr
  • düsster
  • düsterr
  • düstre
  • düstter
  • dütser
  • üdster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of düster - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddüster1dsüter2düsetr2düsster1düsterr1düstre2düstter1dütser2
Edit distance from "düster"

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 "düster"?
"düster" is spelled D-Ü-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdyːstɐ].
What does "düster" mean?
As an adjective, "düster" means: schlecht beleuchtet, von wenig Licht erhellt
What words are commonly confused with "düster"?
"düster" is commonly confused with "düstere", "düsteren", "düsterer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "düster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "düster" is [ˈdyːstɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "düster" come from?
"düster" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "düster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Danzig#14,772coming#14,769Etagen#14,798Caesar#14,765

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

bohren9 variantsblühen9 variantsBeilage9 variantsHalter9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list