Which to use
“dos” is a num and “down” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #57
- “dos” frequency rank
- #8,793
- “down” frequency rank
- 8850
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dos | down |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que consta de uno más que la unidad (1+1). | Hacia abajo. |
Where the eye mixes dos and down
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dos with down
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dos is [ˈd̪os] while down is /daʊn/. 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 (num vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8850, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dos is recorded at frequency rank #57, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈd̪os]. down is at rank #8,793, tagged as anadv, pronounced /daʊn/.
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 8850, this pair ranks #303,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dos vs down
Shared letters: do. Private to "dos": s. Private to "down": nw.
"dos" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "down" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- down ← ddown · donw · downn · dowwn · dwon · odwn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dos" and "down" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "dos" or "down"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "down" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #303,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dos" and "down" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dont vs down". 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 #303,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.