digavsdígameWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,137
“diga” frequency rank
#20,664
“dígame” frequency rank
21801
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature diga dígame
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de decir. Segunda persona del singular (usted) del imperativo de decir acompañada del sufijo me.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
diga
6 ch
dígame

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. diga ([ˈd̪iɣ̞a]) and dígame ([ˈd̪iɣ̞ame]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

diga is recorded at frequency rank #1,137, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪iɣ̞a]. dígame is at rank #20,664, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪iɣ̞ame].

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 21801, this pair ranks #253,281 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of diga vs dígame

Shared letters: adg. Private to "diga": i. Private to "dígame": emí.

"diga" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "dígame" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • digaddiga · dgia · diag · digga · idga

Frequency comparison

diga#1,137
dígame#20,664

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "diga" and "dígame" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪iɣ̞a] versus [ˈd̪iɣ̞ame]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "diga" or "dígame"?
"diga" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,137 in our Spanish list, against #20,664 for "dígame". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering diga vs dígame

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “diga” 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