dewvsdiezWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#48,062
“dew” frequency rank
#30,000
“diez” frequency rank
78062
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dew diez
Definition Niederschlag, durch Abkühlung (in Bodennähe) kondensierter Wasserdampf; Tau zehn: Kardinalzahl zwischen 9 und 11

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
dew
4 ch
diez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dew is [djuː] while diez is [djeθ]. 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 (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dew is recorded at frequency rank #48,062, classified as anoun, pronounced [djuː]. diez is at rank #30,000, tagged as anum, pronounced [djeθ].

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 78062, this pair ranks #246,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dew vs diez

Shared letters: de. Private to "dew": w. Private to "diez": iz.

"dew" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "diez" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • diezddiez · deiz · diezz · dize · idez

Frequency comparison

dew#48,062
diez#30,000

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dew" and "diez" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dew" is a noun and "diez" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dew" or "diez"?
"diez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,000 in our German list, against #48,062 for "dew". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dew vs diez

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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