Which to use
“deu” is a num and “doi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,509
- “deu” frequency rank
- #42,427
- “doi” frequency rank
- 72936
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deu | doi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs doić |
Where the eye mixes deu and doi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. deu and doi follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between deu and doi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deu is [dɛw] while doi is [ˈdɔji]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72936, 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]. doi is at rank #42,427, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔji].
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 72936, this pair ranks #374,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of deu vs doi
Shared letters: d. Private to "deu": eu. Private to "doi": io.
"deu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "doi" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "deu" for "doi" ever safe?
Which is more common, "deu" or "doi"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "deu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "doi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #374,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "deu" and "doi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "doi vs dörr". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #374,307 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.