Which to use
“da” is a verb and “du” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #211
- “da” frequency rank
- #5,609
- “du” frequency rank
- 5820
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | da | du |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dar o de darse. | Tú (pronombre de segunda persona singular familiar o informal) |
Where the eye mixes da and du
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: da vs du
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: da is [ˈd̪a] while du is [duː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “da” becomes u in “du”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
da is recorded at frequency rank #211, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪a]. du is at rank #5,609, tagged as apron, pronounced [duː].
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 5820, this pair ranks #312,573 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of da vs du
Shared letters: d. Private to "da": a. Private to "du": u.
"da" · 2 letters · shape CV · "du" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "da" for "du" ever safe?
Which is more common, "da" or "du"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "da" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "du" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #312,573 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "da" and "du" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deux vs du". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #312,573 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.