Which to use
“derb” is an adjective and “Dur” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,415
- “derb” frequency rank
- #10,455
- “Dur” frequency rank
- 52870
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derb | Dur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unverdorben, kräftig | Tongeschlecht einer Klangverbindung, deren Charakteristikum eine große Terz im Verhältnis zum Grundton ist |
Where the eye mixes derb and Dur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between derb and Dur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derb is [dɛʁp] while Dur is [duːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52870, 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]. Dur is at rank #10,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [duːɐ̯].
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 52870, this pair ranks #1,080,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of derb vs Dur
Shared letters: dr. Private to "derb": be. Private to "Dur": u.
"derb" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Dur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- derb ← dderb · debr · derbb · derrb · dreb · edrb
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "derb" for "Dur" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "derb" or "Dur" 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 "derb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Dur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,080,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derb" and "Dur" 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 #1,080,082 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.