Which to use
“derlei” is a pronoun and “drei” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,678
- “derlei” frequency rank
- #175
- “drei” frequency rank
- 22853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derlei | drei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von solcher Art, derartig | die Kardinalzahl zwischen zwei und vier |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set derlei and drei apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derlei is [ˈdeːɐ̯laɪ̯] while drei is [dʁaɪ̯]. 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 (pronoun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derlei is recorded at frequency rank #22,678, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈdeːɐ̯laɪ̯]. drei is at rank #175, tagged as anum, pronounced [dʁaɪ̯].
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 22853, this pair ranks #1,868,902 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of derlei vs drei
Shared letters: deir. Private to "derlei": l. Private to "drei": -.
"derlei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "drei" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "derlei" and "drei" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "derlei" or "drei"?
Remembering derlei vs drei
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “derlei”; for a num, it's “drei”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “derlei” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable