Which to use
“derbe” is an adjective and “dre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,213
- “derbe” frequency rank
- #36,889
- “dre” frequency rank
- 57102
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derbe | dre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sehr gut, nicht schlecht | der Hirsch |
Where the eye mixes derbe and dre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between derbe and dre
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derbe is [ˈdɛʁbə] while dre is [dreː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 57102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derbe is recorded at frequency rank #20,213, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛʁbə]. dre is at rank #36,889, tagged as anoun, pronounced [dreː].
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 57102, this pair ranks #914,371 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of derbe vs dre
Shared letters: der. Private to "derbe": b. Private to "dre": -.
"derbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "dre" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- derbe ← dderbe · debre · derbbe · dereb · derrbe · drebe · edrbe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "derbe" and "dre" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "derbe" or "dre" 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 "derbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #914,371 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derbe" and "dre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dörr vs dre". 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 #914,371 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.