déjà vs dem, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“déjà” is an adverb and “dem” is a determiner - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,541
“déjà” frequency rank: #22
“dem” frequency rank: 44563
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	déjà	dem
Definition	zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt als erwartet	[1] Dativ Singular des definiten Artikels der

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch

déjà

3 ch

dem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: déjà is [de.ʒa] while dem is [deːm]. 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 (adverb vs determiner), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déjà is recorded at frequency rank #44,541, classified as anadv, pronounced [de.ʒa]. dem is at rank #22, tagged as adet, pronounced [deːm].

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 44563, this pair ranks #1,382,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of déjà vs dem

Shared letters: d. Private to "déjà": jàé. Private to "dem": em.

"déjà" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "dem" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

déjà#44,541

dem#22

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déjà" and "dem" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "déjà" is an adverb and "dem" a determiner, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "déjà" or "dem"?

"dem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22 in our German list, against #44,541 for "déjà". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering déjà vs dem

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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