Which to use
“don” is a noun and “du” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,033
- “don” frequency rank
- #5,609
- “du” frequency rank
- 6642
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | don | du |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cosa cualquiera que se da de forma voluntaria y gratuita. | Tú (pronombre de segunda persona singular familiar o informal) |
Where the eye mixes don and du
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: don vs du
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: don is [ˈd̪õn] 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 (noun vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6642, 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]. 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 6642, this pair ranks #310,195 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of don vs du
Shared letters: d. Private to "don": no. Private to "du": u.
"don" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "du" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "don" and "du" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "don" 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 "don" 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 #310,195 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "don" and "du" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deux vs du". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #310,195 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.