derb

\dɛʁp\

/\dɛʁp\/ adj

The verdict

“derb” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fort, énergique, vigoureux. Dur au contact, rêche.

Corpus desk

Index FR-derb · derb · French

derb · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for derb
PropertyValue
Headwordderb
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\dɛʁp\
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « derb » en français

derbn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

derb is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \dɛʁp\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for derb in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is derb, spelled D-E-R-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fort, énergique, vigoureux. Dur au contact, rêche.
  2. 2
    Grossier, rude, rustique, vulgaire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how derb appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Sie schüttelte meine Hand derb. - Elle me secoua la main énergiquement
  2. Die Frucht ist noch derb. - Ce fruit n’est pas encore mûr

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "derb"?
"derb" is spelled D-E-R-B. The IPA pronunciation is \dɛʁp\.
What does "derb" mean?
As an adjective, "derb" means: Fort, énergique, vigoureux. Dur au contact, rêche.
How do you pronounce "derb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "derb" is \dɛʁp\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "derb" come from?
"derb" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list