So what’s the difference? Both phrases have a negative connotation and both can be used to say there are (too) many of something.

The most important distinction is that だらけ refers to something is covered in many individual things, whereas ばかり suggests only one from many possibilities.

怪我して体が傷だらけだった。
To have an accident and be covered in bruises.

怪我して体が傷ばかりだった。
(Sounds unnatural—what else could you be covered in after an accident?).

You May Also Like

From (から) & Until (まで)

From The particle から has various grammatical uses but its most basic meaning in Japanese is “from”. Like…

Negative Tendency

ありがちな考え方。 A typical way of thinking. ありがちな誤解。 A common misconception. メンバーが大勢いると結論のない議論になりがちである。 xxxxx

Other’s Desires: ~がる

We need to be careful when talking about other people’s emotions or feelings—I’m talking grammatically here. Japanese makes…

Just Finished Doing Something: ~たばかり

ばかり has a number of grammatical usages in Japanese, but one of the most common is with the…