Which to use
“dos” is a num and “doy” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #57
- “dos” frequency rank
- #1,570
- “doy” frequency rank
- 1627
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dos | doy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que consta de uno más que la unidad (1+1). | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de dar o de darse. |
Where the eye mixes dos and doy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dos and doy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dos is [ˈd̪os] while doy is [ˈd̪oj]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - s in “dos” becomes y in “doy”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1627, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dos is recorded at frequency rank #57, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈd̪os]. doy is at rank #1,570, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪oj].
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 1627, this pair ranks #321,721 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dos vs doy
Shared letters: do. Private to "dos": s. Private to "doy": y.
"dos" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "doy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dos" for "doy" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dos" vs "doy" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "doy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #321,721 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dos" and "doy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dont vs doy". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #321,721 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.