Which to use
“degree” is a noun and “derbe” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,574
- “degree” frequency rank
- #20,213
- “derbe” frequency rank
- 69787
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | degree | derbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Grad als Temperatureinheit | sehr gut, nicht schlecht |
Where the eye mixes degree and derbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: degree vs derbe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: degree is [dɪˈɡriː] while derbe is [ˈdɛʁbə]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69787, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
degree is recorded at frequency rank #49,574, classified as anoun, pronounced [dɪˈɡriː]. derbe is at rank #20,213, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛʁbə].
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 69787, this pair ranks #465,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of degree vs derbe
Shared letters: der. Private to "degree": g. Private to "derbe": b.
"degree" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "derbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "degree" for "derbe" ever safe?
Which is more common, "degree" or "derbe"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "degree" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "derbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #465,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "degree" and "derbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Degen vs degree". 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 #465,978 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.