dudarvsdumaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,711
“dudar” frequency rank
#39,714
“duma” frequency rank
47425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dudar and duma apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
dudar
4 ch
duma

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dudar ([d̪uˈð̞aɾ]) and duma ([ˈd̪uma]) 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 47425, 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]. duma is at rank #39,714, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪uma].

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 47425, this pair ranks #120,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dudar vs duma

Shared letters: adu. Private to "dudar": r. Private to "duma": m.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dudardduar · ddudar · duadr · dudarr · duddar · dudra · uddar
  • dumadduma · dmua · duam · dumma · udma

Frequency comparison

dudar#7,711
duma#39,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dudar" and "duma" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪uˈð̞aɾ] versus [ˈd̪uma]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dudar" or "duma"?
"dudar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,711 in our Spanish list, against #39,714 for "duma". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dudar vs duma

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dudar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list