Which to use
“don” is a noun and “done” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,033
- “don” frequency rank
- #26,010
- “done” frequency rank
- 27043
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | don | done |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cosa cualquiera que se da de forma voluntaria y gratuita. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de donar. |
Where the eye mixes don and done
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between don and done
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: don is [ˈd̪õn] while done is [ˈd̪one]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “don” sits inside “done”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
don is recorded at frequency rank #1,033, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪õn]. done is at rank #26,010, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪one].
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 27043, this pair ranks #228,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of don vs done
Shared letters: dno. Private to "don": -. Private to "done": e.
"don" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "done" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- done ← ddone · dnoe · doen · donne · odne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "don" and "done" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "don" or "done" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "don" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "done" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #228,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "don" and "done" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "done vs dont". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #228,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.