blödvsboyWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: blöd is a adjective, boy is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“blöd” is an adjective and “boy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,812
“blöd” frequency rank
#4,966
“boy” frequency rank
7778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blöd boy
Definition nicht sehr intelligent (Person) oder durch mangelndes Nachdenken entstanden Junge, junger Mann

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set blöd and boy apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
blöd
3 ch
boy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: blöd is [bløːt] while boy is [bɔɪ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blöd is recorded at frequency rank #2,812, classified as anadj, pronounced [bløːt]. boy is at rank #4,966, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bɔɪ].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 7778, this pair ranks #1,986,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of blöd vs boy

Shared letters: b. Private to "blöd": dlö. Private to "boy": oy.

"blöd" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "boy" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

blöd#2,812
boy#4,966

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blöd" and "boy" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "blöd" is an adjective and "boy" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "blöd" or "boy"?
"blöd" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,812 in our German list, against #4,966 for "boy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering blöd vs boy

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “blöd”; for a noun, it's “boy”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “blöd” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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