deudavsdumaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: deuda is a noun, duma is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“deuda” is a noun and “duma” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,846
“deuda” frequency rank
#39,714
“duma” frequency rank
41560
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deuda duma
Definition Obligación de pagar o satisfacer de otro modo un compromiso. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de dumir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deuda and duma apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
deuda
4 ch
duma

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deuda is [ˈd̪ewð̞a] while duma is [ˈd̪uma]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deuda is recorded at frequency rank #1,846, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪ewð̞a]. duma is at rank #39,714, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪uma].

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 41560, this pair ranks #153,013 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deuda vs duma

Shared letters: adu. Private to "deuda": e. Private to "duma": m.

"deuda" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "duma" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deudaddeuda · dedua · deuad · deudda · dueda · eduda
  • dumadduma · dmua · duam · dumma · udma

Frequency comparison

deuda#1,846
duma#39,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deuda" and "duma" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "deuda" is a noun and "duma" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "deuda" or "duma"?
"deuda" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,846 in our Spanish list, against #39,714 for "duma". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering deuda vs duma

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list