DolchvsdolleWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Dolch is a noun, dolle is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Dolch” is a noun and “dolle” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,477
“Dolch” frequency rank
#31,002
“dolle” frequency rank
54479
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Dolch dolle
Definition ein Messer mit zwei Schneiden Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs doll

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Dolch and dolle apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Dolch
5 ch
dolle

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Dolch is [dɔlç] while dolle is [ˈdɔlə]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54479, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Dolch is recorded at frequency rank #23,477, classified as anoun, pronounced [dɔlç]. dolle is at rank #31,002, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɔlə].

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 54479, this pair ranks #1,017,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Dolch vs dolle

Shared letters: dlo. Private to "Dolch": ch. Private to "dolle": e.

"Dolch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "dolle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dolchddolch · dloch · doclh · dolcch · dolchh · dolhc · dollch · odlch
  • dolleddolle · dlole · dole · dolel · odlle

Frequency comparison

Dolch#23,477
dolle#31,002

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Dolch" and "dolle" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Dolch" is a noun and "dolle" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Dolch" or "dolle"?
"Dolch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,477 in our German list, against #31,002 for "dolle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Dolch vs dolle

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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