Which to use
“delle” is a verb and “derbe” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,865
- “delle” frequency rank
- #20,213
- “derbe” frequency rank
- 40078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delle | derbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs dellen | sehr gut, nicht schlecht |
Where the eye mixes delle and derbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses delle with derbe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: delle is [ˈdɛlə] while derbe is [ˈdɛʁbə]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
delle is recorded at frequency rank #19,865, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdɛlə]. 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 40078, this pair ranks #1,518,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of delle vs derbe
Shared letters: de. Private to "delle": l. Private to "derbe": br.
"delle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "derbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "delle" for "derbe" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "delle" or "derbe" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "delle" 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 #1,518,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "delle" and "derbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "degree vs derbe". 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 #1,518,683 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.