Which to use
“dad” is a verb and “del” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,501
- “dad” frequency rank
- #14
- “del” frequency rank
- 18515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dad | del |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de dar. | Contracción de la preposición de y el artículo el. |
Where the eye mixes dad and del
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between dad and del
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dad is [ˈd̪að̞] while del is [d̪el]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18515, 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]. del is at rank #14, tagged as acontraction, pronounced [d̪el].
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 18515, this pair ranks #267,610 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dad vs del
Shared letters: d. Private to "dad": a. Private to "del": el.
"dad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "del" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dad" and "del" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dad" or "del"?
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 "del" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,610 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dad" and "del" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dad vs dade". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #267,610 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.