Which to use
“Deputy” and “duty” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,045
- “Deputy” frequency rank
- #21,948
- “duty” frequency rank
- 59993
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Deputy | duty |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mitarbeiter des Sheriffs in der US-amerikanischen Polizei-Organisation | die moralische oder gesetzliche Pflicht |
Where the eye mixes Deputy and duty
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Deputy runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against duty's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Deputy and duty
A purely visual mix-up. Deputy ([ˈdɛpjəti]) and duty ([ˈdjuːti]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Deputy is recorded at frequency rank #38,045, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛpjəti]. duty is at rank #21,948, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdjuːti].
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 59993, this pair ranks #803,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Deputy vs duty
Shared letters: dtuy. Private to "Deputy": ep. Private to "duty": -.
"Deputy" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "duty" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Deputy" and "duty" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Deputy" or "duty"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Deputy" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duty" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #803,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Deputy" and "duty" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Deputy vs deute". 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 #803,604 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.