Dern vs Derp - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between dern and derp

is that dern is to hide; secrete, as in a hole while derp is to act stupidly or foolishly.

As a noun dern

is a secret; secrecy.

As an adjective dern

is hidden; secret; private.

As an interjection derp is

Draws attention to an act of foolishness or stupidity.

dern
English

Alternative forms
*
Etymology 1
From (etyl) dern, derne, from (etyl) dyrne, . See below.
Noun
(en noun)
A secret; secrecy.

A secret place; hiding.

An obscure language.

Darkness; obscurity.

Derived terms
*
Etymology 2
From (etyl) dern, derne, from (etyl) dyrne, .
Adjective
(en adjective)
Hidden; secret; private.

* Dr. H. More, Immortal, of the Soul

Now with their backs to the den's mouth they sit, / Yet shoulder not all light from the dern pit.

* J. R. Drake, Culprit Fay

Through dreary beds of tangled fern, / Through groves of nightshade dark and dern .

Etymology 3
From (etyl) dernen, .
Verb
(en verb)
To hide; secrete, as in a hole.

He at length escaped them by derning himself in a fox-earth. ? H. Miller.

To hide oneself; skulk.

But look how soon they heard of Holoferne / Their courage quail'd, and they began to derne . ? T. Hudson.

Etymology 4
Uncertain.
Noun
(en noun)
(UK, dialect) A gatepost or doorpost.

So I just put my eye between the wall and the dern of the gate, and I saw him come up to the back door''.., Charles Kingsley, ''Westward Ho! , Ch. XIV, How Salvation Yeo Slew the King of the Gubbings.
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derp
English

Interjection
(en interjection)
(slang)

I put chips in my soup instead of crackers. Derp .

* {{quote-newsgroup
, date = 1997-02-25 , first = Pete , last = Treichler , newsgroup = alt.sports.hockey.nhl.pit-penguins , title = Re: Patrick Incompentence Redux , id = Yn4ObEO00iV6A1SFx_@andrew.cmu.edu>
1/1
, url = https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.sports.hockey.nhl.pit-penguins/AHO2WhCWOms/ScPi-4rnvO0J , passage = Now that I think of it, i'm surprised that you didn't make fun of his first name as well- 'How could you believe in a guy who has a girly first name?' derp - you are a fool. }}
(slang) placeholder for unimportant details, blah blah blah

* {{quote-video
, date = 2002-11-27 , episode = The Biggest Douche in the Universe , title = (South Park) , season = 6 , number = 15 , at = 14:28 , url = http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s06e15-the-biggest-douche-in-the-universe , passage = Rob Schneider derp' dee '''derp'''. '''Derp''' dee derpity derpy '''derp'''. Until one day, a '''derp''' a '''derp''' a '''derp''' a ' derp . }}
* {{quote-newsgroup
, date = 2011-01-10 , first = Tom , last = Allen , newsgroup = soc.sexuality.general , title = Re: Expression of a woman's sexuality , id = add2880c-51f2-48ba-bcb1-4f9bff60dd58@l24g2000vby.googlegroups.com , url = https://groups.google.com/group/soc.sexuality.general/msg/31962b1701a525c8 , passage = Me: Hi, remember me from SSG? Can I ask you about herping the derp'?
R1: Oh, hai Tom. Sure, that would be the ' derp that was herping blah blah blah... }}
Usage notes
In the placeholder sense, often used with herp . Can be used like a noun or a verb or with various suffixes. Connotes that whatever it stands in for does not matter, and often that it is foolish or nonsensical.
Verb
(en verb)
To act stupidly or foolishly

To make a stupid mistake

* {{quote-web
, date = 2011-08-22 , id = 184e4b33-8013-4f8f-b312-ce498111076a@b34g2000yqi.googlegroups.com , title = Re: 4e Forgotten Realms Campaign , author = Scion-of-Fenrir , site = Google Groups: /tg/'s Google group , url = https://groups.google.com/group/tgs-google-group/msg/6006c952294d2da6 , passage = Wait, so we're allowed to have magic items from the start? I must of derped pretty hard. }}
(slang, of eyes) To point in different directions; (of a, person) To have a facial expression with one's eyes pointing in different directions.

* {{quote-web
, date = 2012-04-22 , author = Double Eight , title = Re: Next Meetup , site = Google Groups: Windy City Bronies , https://groups.google.com/group/windycitybronies/msg/107a57f224ec397 , passage = Also, there was a Derpy cameo in this one, but she didn't have derped eyes. }}
* {{quote-web
, date = 2012-10-25 , first = Brian , last = Benchoff , title = Electronic demon costume is surprisingly unnerving , blog = Hack A Day , url = http://hackaday.com/2012/10/25/electronic-demon-costume-is-surprisingly-unnerving/ , passage = The eyes are wired to the same I2C address to prevent derping , but the three red mouth LED matrices are capable of displaying anything that fits on an 8×24 LED matrix. }}
Derived terms
* derpy ----