dadvsdasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,501
“dad” frequency rank
#1,476
“das” frequency rank
19977
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dad das
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de dar. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de indicativo de dar.

Where the eye mixes dad and das

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

3 ch
dad
3 ch
das

Look-alike desk: dad vs das

A purely visual mix-up. dad ([ˈd̪að̞]) and das ([ˈd̪as]) 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 s in “das”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19977, 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]. das is at rank #1,476, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪as].

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 19977, this pair ranks #261,336 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dad vs das

Shared letters: ad. Private to "dad": -. Private to "das": s.

"dad" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "das" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "dad" and "das" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪að̞] versus [ˈd̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "dad" vs "das" - which ranks higher?
"das" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,476 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.

After this comparison

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 "das" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #261,336 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dad" and "das" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dad vs dade". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #261,336 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