déjà vs deu, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#44,541
“déjà” frequency rank: #30,509
“deu” frequency rank: 75050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	déjà	deu
Definition	zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt als erwartet	zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch

déjà

3 ch

deu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: déjà is [de.ʒa] 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 (adverb vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75050, 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]. 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 75050, this pair ranks #317,722 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of déjà vs deu

Shared letters: d. Private to "déjà": jàé. Private to "deu": eu.

"déjà" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "deu" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

déjà#44,541

deu#30,509

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"deu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,509 in our German list, against #44,541 for "déjà". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déjà vs deu

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “déjà”; for a num, it's “deu”.
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