Which to use
“derb” is an adjective and “deux” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,415
- “derb” frequency rank
- #29,540
- “deux” frequency rank
- 71955
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derb | deux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unverdorben, kräftig | zwei |
Where the eye mixes derb and deux
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. derb (CVCC) and deux (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses derb with deux
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derb is [dɛʁp] while deux is [dø]. 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 (adjective vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71955, 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]. deux is at rank #29,540, tagged as anum, pronounced [dø].
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 71955, this pair ranks #401,944 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of derb vs deux
Shared letters: de. Private to "derb": br. Private to "deux": ux.
"derb" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "deux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "derb" for "deux" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "derb" or "deux" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "derb" and "deux" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "derb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "deux" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #401,944 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derb" and "deux" 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 #401,944 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.