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De or het sleutel?

← Dutch words

de sleutel

a key

/ˈsløː.təl/

Forms

Singular
de sleutel
Plural
de sleutels
Diminutive
het sleuteltje

Why de?

  • No reliable spelling rule decides this one, so de sleutel is learned together with the word.
  • Every plural takes de, so it is de sleutels whatever the singular takes.
  • Every diminutive takes het: het sleuteltje.

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. a key
  2. a wrench, a spanner
  3. a clef

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