dollevsdoveWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#31,002
“dolle” frequency rank
#40,480
“dove” frequency rank
71482
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dolle dove
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs doll Exemplar der Tauben, Columbidae

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
dolle
4 ch
dove

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dolle is [ˈdɔlə] while dove is [dʌv]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dolle is recorded at frequency rank #31,002, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɔlə]. dove is at rank #40,480, tagged as anoun, pronounced [dʌv].

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 71482, this pair ranks #415,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dolle vs dove

Shared letters: deo. Private to "dolle": l. Private to "dove": v.

"dolle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "dove" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dolleddolle · dlole · dole · dolel · odlle
  • doveddove · doev · dovve · dvoe · odve

Frequency comparison

dolle#31,002
dove#40,480

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dolle" and "dove" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dolle" is an adjective and "dove" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dolle" or "dove"?
"dolle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,002 in our German list, against #40,480 for "dove". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dolle vs dove

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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