dudarvsdudoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“dudar” and “dudo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,711
“dudar” frequency rank
#4,239
“dudo” frequency rank
11950
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dudar dudo
Definition Estar indeciso entre dos o más opciones, no estar seguro de qué hacer. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de dudar.

Where the eye mixes dudar and dudo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
dudar
4 ch
dudo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dudar ([d̪uˈð̞aɾ]) and dudo ([ˈd̪uð̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11950, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dudar is recorded at frequency rank #7,711, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪uˈð̞aɾ]. dudo is at rank #4,239, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪uð̞o].

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 11950, this pair ranks #293,280 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dudar vs dudo

Shared letters: du. Private to "dudar": ar. Private to "dudo": o.

"dudar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dudo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dudardduar · ddudar · duadr · dudarr · duddar · dudra · uddar
  • dudoddudo · dduo · duddo · duod · uddo

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dudar" and "dudo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪uˈð̞aɾ] versus [ˈd̪uð̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dudar" or "dudo"?
"dudo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,239 in our Spanish list, against #7,711 for "dudar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list