Which to use
“dour” is an adjective and “dua” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,880
- “dour” frequency rank
- #41,094
- “dua” frequency rank
- 90974
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dour | dua |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Stern, harsh and forbidding. | Alternative spelling of du'a'. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dour and dua apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dour is anadjective and duaanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90974, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dour is recorded at frequency rank #49,880, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdʊə/. dua is at rank #41,094, tagged as anoun.
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 90974, this pair ranks #3,701 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dour vs dua
Shared letters: du. Private to "dour": or. Private to "dua": a.
"dour" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "dua" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dour ← ddour · doru · dourr · duor · odur
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dour" and "dua" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dour" or "dua"?
Remembering dour vs dua
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dour”; for a noun, it's “dua”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dour” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable