Which to use
“degli” is a preposition and “delle” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,845
- “degli” frequency rank
- #19,865
- “delle” frequency rank
- 65710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | degli | delle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Verschmelzung der Präposition di mit dem bestimmten Artikel gli | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs dellen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set degli and delle apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: degli is [ˈdeʎʎi] while delle is [ˈdɛlə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
degli is recorded at frequency rank #45,845, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈdeʎʎi]. delle is at rank #19,865, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdɛlə].
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 65710, this pair ranks #597,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of degli vs delle
Shared letters: del. Private to "degli": gi. Private to "delle": -.
"degli" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "delle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "degli" and "delle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "degli" or "delle"?
Remembering degli vs delle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “degli”; for a verb, it's “delle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “degli” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable