Which to use
“dead” is a noun and “deu” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,587
- “dead” frequency rank
- #30,509
- “deu” frequency rank
- 38096
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dead | deu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Tote, die Toten, die Tote | zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf |
Where the eye mixes dead and deu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: dead vs deu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dead is [dɛd] while deu is [dɛw]. 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 (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dead is recorded at frequency rank #7,587, classified as anoun, pronounced [dɛd]. deu is at rank #30,509, tagged as anum, pronounced [dɛw].
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 38096, this pair ranks #1,572,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dead vs deu
Shared letters: de. Private to "dead": a. Private to "deu": u.
"dead" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "deu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dead ← daed · ddead · deadd · deda · edad
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dead" for "deu" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dead" vs "deu" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dead" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "deu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,572,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dead" and "deu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deu vs diet". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,572,905 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.