Which to use
“deu” is a num and “drug” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,509
- “deu” frequency rank
- #38,692
- “drug” frequency rank
- 69201
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deu | drug |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen neun und elf | Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs drag |
Where the eye mixes deu and drug
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. deu runs 3 letters (CVV) against drug's 4 (CCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses deu with drug
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deu is [dɛw] while drug is [dɹʌɡ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69201, 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]. drug is at rank #38,692, tagged as averb, pronounced [dɹʌɡ].
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 69201, this pair ranks #483,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of deu vs drug
Shared letters: du. Private to "deu": e. Private to "drug": gr.
"deu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "drug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- drug ← ddrug · drgu · drrug · drugg · durg · rdug
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "deu" and "drug" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "deu" or "drug"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "deu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "drug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #483,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "deu" and "drug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "drug vs duc". 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 #483,898 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.