Which to use
“derb” and “derben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,415
- “derb” frequency rank
- #42,416
- “derben” frequency rank
- 84831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derb | derben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unverdorben, kräftig | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs derb |
Where the eye mixes derb and derben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses derb with derben
A purely visual mix-up. derb ([dɛʁp]) and derben ([ˈdɛʁbn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “derb” sits inside “derben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derb is recorded at frequency rank #42,415, classified as anadj, pronounced [dɛʁp]. derben is at rank #42,416, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛʁbn̩].
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 84831, this pair ranks #117,553 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of derb vs derben
Shared letters: bder. Private to "derb": -. Private to "derben": n.
"derb" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "derben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "derb" for "derben" ever safe?
Frequency check: "derb" vs "derben" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "derb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "derben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #117,553 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derb" and "derben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "derb vs dörr". 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 #117,553 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.