deuvsdietWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: deu is a num, diet is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“deu” is a num and “diet” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#30,509
“deu” frequency rank
#48,821
“diet” frequency rank
79330
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deu diet
Definition zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf besondere Form der Ernährung, die bestimmten Regeln folgt; Diät

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
deu
4 ch
diet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: deu is anum and dietanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79330, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deu is recorded at frequency rank #30,509, classified as anum, pronounced [dɛw]. diet is at rank #48,821, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 79330, this pair ranks #218,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of deu vs diet

Shared letters: de. Private to "deu": u. Private to "diet": it.

"deu" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "diet" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dietddiet · diett · dite · idet

Frequency comparison

deu#30,509
diet#48,821

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deu" and "diet" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "deu" is a num and "diet" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "deu" or "diet"?
"deu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,509 in our German list, against #48,821 for "diet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deu vs diet

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “deu”; for a noun, it's “diet”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “deu” 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