derbvsdörrWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: derb is a adjective, dörr is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“derb” is an adjective and “dörr” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,415
“derb” frequency rank
#48,832
“dörr” frequency rank
91247
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derb dörr
Definition unverdorben, kräftig 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs dörren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set derb and dörr apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
derb
4 ch
dörr

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derb is [dɛʁp] while dörr is [dœʁ]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 91247, 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]. dörr is at rank #48,832, tagged as averb, pronounced [dœʁ].

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 91247, this pair ranks #39,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of derb vs dörr

Shared letters: dr. Private to "derb": be. Private to "dörr": ö.

"derb" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "dörr" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derbdderb · debr · derbb · derrb · dreb · edrb

Frequency comparison

derb#42,415
dörr#48,832

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "derb" and "dörr" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "derb" is an adjective and "dörr" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "derb" or "dörr"?
"derb" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #42,415 in our German list, against #48,832 for "dörr". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering derb vs dörr

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “derb”; for a verb, it's “dörr”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “derb” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list