de

[d̪e]

/[d̪e]/ prep

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

The verdict

“de” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1) as a preposition. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1
frequency rank, Spanish
4,885
“D” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Indica pertenencia.

Corpus desk

Index ES-de · de · Spanish

de · rank #1 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #1
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,885
  • PHOTO-FINISH la

Nearest frequency peer: la (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “de”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “de” sits against the nearest ranked Spanish headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for de is neighbouring look-alikes ("di", "do", …), not just typos; it is apreposition pronounced [d̪e]. Frequency #1 among 4,885 “D” headwords. 16 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how de appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Este libro es de José.
  2. Una botella de leche.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.
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