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

Honorifics in Japanese: A Complete Introduction to Keigo, Sonkeigo, and Kenjogo

Honorifics play a huge role in the Japanese language. They define underlying power dynamics and help the speaker…

Decisions: ことにする

JLPT N4. Used in both writing and conversation. We use the below structure to show that we have…

Regret at an Action (てしまう)

We can use the te form with the group 1 verb しまう to express regret at an action.…

Essential Conjunctions: But (が)

We form a “but” in Japanese by appending the が particle to the end of the clause. 旅行りょこうに行いきたいですが、休やすみが取とれません。…