der vs deux, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“der” is an article and “deux” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,897
“der” frequency rank: #46,494
“deux” frequency rank: 53391
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	der	deux
Definition	El.	Dos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch

der

4 ch

deux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: der is [de:ɐ] while deux is /dø/. 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 (article vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

der is recorded at frequency rank #6,897, classified as anarticle, pronounced [de:ɐ]. deux is at rank #46,494, tagged as anum, pronounced /dø/.

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 53391, this pair ranks #88,099 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of der vs deux

Shared letters: de. Private to "der": r. Private to "deux": ux.

"der" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "deux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

deux ← ddeux · deuxx · dexu · duex · edux

Frequency comparison

der#6,897

deux#46,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "der" and "deux" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "der" is an article and "deux" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "der" or "deux"?

"der" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,897 in our Spanish list, against #46,494 for "deux". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering der vs deux

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “der”; for a num, it's “deux”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “der” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable