Which to use
“duda” is a noun and “dudar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #656
- “duda” frequency rank
- #7,711
- “dudar” frequency rank
- 8367
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | duda | dudar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de dudar. Dificultad para elegir entre dos o más opciones, o suspensión de tal decisión. | Estar indeciso entre dos o más opciones, no estar seguro de qué hacer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set duda and dudar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
duda and dudar form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “duda” sits inside “dudar” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
duda is recorded at frequency rank #656, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪uð̞a]. dudar is at rank #7,711, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪uˈð̞aɾ].
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 8367, this pair ranks #305,196 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "duda" and "dudar" be used interchangeably?
Remembering duda vs dudar
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “duda”; for a verb, it's “dudar”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “duda” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable