den vs deux, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“den” is a verb and “deux” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,020
“den” frequency rank: #46,494
“deux” frequency rank: 48514
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	den	deux
Definition	Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de dar o de darse.	Dos.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set den and deux apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

den

4 ch

deux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: den is [ˈd̪ẽn] while deux is /dø/. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48514, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

den is recorded at frequency rank #2,020, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ẽn]. deux is at rank #46,494, tagged as anum, pronounced /dø/.

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 48514, this pair ranks #114,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of den vs deux

Shared letters: de. Private to "den": n. Private to "deux": ux.

"den" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "deux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

deux ← ddeux · deuxx · dexu · duex · edux

Frequency comparison

den#2,020

deux#46,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "den" and "deux" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "den" is a verb and "deux" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "den" or "deux"?

"den" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,020 in our Spanish list, against #46,494 for "deux". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering den vs deux

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “den”; for a num, it's “deux”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “den” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable