Which to use
“dob” is a verb and “dose” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,170
- “dob” frequency rank
- #5,124
- “dose” frequency rank
- 49294
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dob | dose |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To report a person to someone in authority for a wrongdoing. (For transitive forms see dob in, dob on.) | A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dob and dose apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters 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: dob is /dɑb/ while dose is /dəʊs/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dob is recorded at frequency rank #44,170, classified as averb, pronounced /dɑb/. dose is at rank #5,124, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dəʊs/.
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 49294, this pair ranks #185,020 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dob vs dose
Shared letters: do. Private to "dob": b. Private to "dose": es.
"dob" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dose" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dose ← ddose · dosse · dsoe · odse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dob" and "dose" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dob" or "dose"?
Remembering dob vs dose
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dob”; for a noun, it's “dose”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dob” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable