Which to use
“dad” is a verb and “du” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,501
- “dad” frequency rank
- #5,609
- “du” frequency rank
- 24110
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dad | du |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de dar. | Tú (pronombre de segunda persona singular familiar o informal) |
Where the eye mixes dad and du
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dad with du
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dad is [ˈd̪að̞] while du is [duː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24110, 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]. 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 24110, this pair ranks #242,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dad vs du
Shared letters: d. Private to "dad": a. Private to "du": u.
"dad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "du" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dad" for "du" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dad" vs "du" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dad" 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 #242,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dad" and "du" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dad vs dade". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #242,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.