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De or het? Look up a Dutch word

The article, plural and diminutive of everyday Dutch nouns, and the conjugation of common verbs, with the meaning in English and, for many words, a recording.

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Food & shopping

146 words

Home & housing

105 words

Clothing & jewelry

33 words

Daily routines

21 words

Body

70 words

Health & care

113 words

Friends, family & social life

124 words

People & life

94 words

Feelings & character

113 words

Getting along with people

60 words

Travel & getting around

102 words

Places & directions

27 words

Work & study

133 words

School, childcare & education

36 words

Money, banking & payments

60 words

Government & paperwork

57 words

Society & politics

68 words

Digital life & communication

67 words

Talking & language

116 words

Thinking & knowing

138 words

Seeing, hearing & noticing

31 words

Arts, music & media

96 words

Sports, games & going out

44 words

Religion, myth & magic

63 words

Animals

78 words

Nature & weather

57 words

Science & technology

89 words

Objects & materials

54 words

Time & calendar

23 words

Numbers & measures

28 words

Situations & events

45 words

Problems & emergencies

64 words

Crime & criminals

112 words

Police & the courts

65 words

War & the military

99 words

Moving & going

70 words

Giving, getting & keeping

52 words

Holding, putting & handling

102 words

Making, fixing & breaking

40 words

Starting, trying & finishing

72 words

Being, becoming & changing

60 words

How to tell de from het

Most Dutch nouns take de, every plural takes de, and every diminutive takes het. Endings help with the rest: words ending in -ing, -heid or -tie usually take de, and words ending in -isme or -ment usually take het. Everything else is learned with the word, which is why each page here gives the article first.

Check any noun with the de or het checker, or read the full rules for de and het.

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