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

Nominalising Verbs (こと)

The ability to nominalise verbs is arguably the single piece of grammar that lets us move away from…

Nothing But

ばかり is used to say “nothing but”. It is typically used in conversation rather than formal writing. 【Noun】ばかり…

Too Much: すぎる

To say something is “too much” or “too small” or that we drank “too much” and so forth,…

The Connecting Particle (と)

The most basic usage of the connecting particle と is—wait for it—to connect things. When used to connect…