de

[d̪e]

/[d̪e]/ prep

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“de” is in the everyday core of Spanish, ranked #1 in Spanish word frequency and used as a preposition.

#1
frequency rank, Spanish
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Indica pertenencia.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

de vs di
50% similar
de vs do
50% similar
de vs du
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for de
PropertyValue
Headwordde
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA[d̪e]
Letters2
Frequency rank#1
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “de” sits in Spanish frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). de lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for de is 2 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [d̪e]. Corpus data places it at rank #1 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for de in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "di", "do", "du", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is de, spelled D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Indica pertenencia.
  2. 2
    Indica el contenido de algo.
  3. 3
    Indica la finalidad o uso.
  4. 4
    Indica el material con el que confecciona algo.
  5. 5
    Indica la causa.
  6. 6
    Indica el origen.
  7. 7
    Indica la forma de hacer.
  8. 8
    Indica el lugar de donde brota.
  9. 9
    Junto con un adverbio, indica separación.
  10. 10
    Indica una cualidad personal.
  11. 11
    Indica el inicio.
  12. 12
    Indica el momento.
  13. 13
    Indica las razones o circunstancias.
  14. 14
    Se usa para reforzar un epíteto.
  15. 15
    Tiene uso irónico en el tratamiento personal.
  16. 16
    Variante obsoleta de a

Synonyms

parapordesdedurantecon

This word in other languages

's(English)de(Français)von(Deutsch)de(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "de"?
"de" is spelled D-E. The IPA pronunciation is [d̪e].
What does "de" mean?
As a preposition, "de" means: Indica pertenencia.
What words are commonly confused with "de"?
"de" is commonly confused with "di", "do", "du". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "de"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "de" is [d̪e]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "de" come from?
"de" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “de”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [d̪e] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “di” - see the side-by-side comparison. de vs di
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list