dadvsdarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“dad” and “dar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,501
“dad” frequency rank
#263
“dar” frequency rank
18764
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dad dar
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de dar. Traspasar algo a otra persona de forma gratuita.

Where the eye mixes dad and dar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
dad
3 ch
dar

Visual trap between dad and dar

A purely visual mix-up. dad ([ˈd̪að̞]) and dar ([ˈd̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - d in “dad” becomes r in “dar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dad is recorded at frequency rank #18,501, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪að̞]. dar is at rank #263, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪aɾ].

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 18764, this pair ranks #266,563 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dad vs dar

Shared letters: ad. Private to "dad": -. Private to "dar": r.

"dad" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "dar" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "dad" and "dar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪að̞] versus [ˈd̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dad" or "dar"?
"dar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #263 in our Spanish list, against #18,501 for "dad". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "dad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #266,563 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dad" and "dar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dad vs dade". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #266,563 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list