Which to use
“de” is a noun and “dup” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #582
- “de” frequency rank
- #28,177
- “dup” frequency rank
- 28759
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | de | dup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The name of the Cyrillic script letter Д / д. | to open (a door, gate etc.) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set de and dup apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: de is /ˈdɛ/ while dup is /dʌp/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
de is recorded at frequency rank #582, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɛ/. dup is at rank #28,177, tagged as averb, pronounced /dʌp/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 28759, this pair ranks #368,545 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of de vs dup
Shared letters: d. Private to "de": e. Private to "dup": pu.
"de" · 2 letters · shape CV · "dup" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "de" and "dup" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "de" or "dup"?
Remembering de vs dup
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “de”; for a verb, it's “dup”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “de” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable