degvsdrugWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“deg” and “drug” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#33,522
“deg” frequency rank
#38,692
“drug” frequency rank
72214
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deg drug
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs degt Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs drag

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deg and drug apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
deg
4 ch
drug

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deg ([dɛk]) and drug ([dɹʌɡ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deg is recorded at frequency rank #33,522, classified as averb, pronounced [dɛk]. drug is at rank #38,692, tagged as averb, pronounced [dɹʌɡ].

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 72214, this pair ranks #394,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of deg vs drug

Shared letters: dg. Private to "deg": e. Private to "drug": ru.

"deg" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "drug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • drugddrug · drgu · drrug · drugg · durg · rdug

Frequency comparison

deg#33,522
drug#38,692

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deg" and "drug" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([dɛk] versus [dɹʌɡ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deg" or "drug"?
"deg" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,522 in our German list, against #38,692 for "drug". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deg vs drug

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “deg” 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