derervsdreConfusable pair

Quick tell: derer is a unknown, dre is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“derer” is an unknown and “dre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,576
“derer” frequency rank
#36,889
“dre” frequency rank
42465
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derer dre
Definition [1] Genitiv Plural des Demonstrativpronomens der der Hirsch

Where the eye mixes derer and dre

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
derer
3 ch
dre

Look-alike desk: derer vs dre

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derer is [ˈdeːʁɐ] 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 (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

derer is recorded at frequency rank #5,576, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈdeːʁɐ]. 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 42465, this pair ranks #1,448,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of derer vs dre

Shared letters: der. Private to "derer": -. Private to "dre": -.

"derer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dre" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dererdderer · deerr · dererr · derre · derrer · dreer · edrer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "derer" and "dre" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "derer" is an unknown and "dre" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "derer" or "dre"?
"derer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,576 in our German list, against #36,889 for "dre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "derer" 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 #1,448,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "derer" 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 #1,448,453 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list