Which to use
“due” is an adverb and “duele” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,578
- “due” frequency rank
- #2,878
- “duele” frequency rank
- 30456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | due | duele |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En segundo puesto. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de dolar. |
Where the eye mixes due and duele
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between due and duele
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: due is [ˈdu.e] while duele is [ˈd̪wele]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “due” sits inside “duele”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
due is recorded at frequency rank #27,578, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈdu.e]. duele is at rank #2,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪wele].
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 30456, this pair ranks #211,890 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of due vs duele
Shared letters: deu. Private to "due": -. Private to "duele": l.
"due" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "duele" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- duele ← dduele · deule · dueel · duelle · dulee · udele
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "due" for "duele" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "due" or "duele" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "due" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duele" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #211,890 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "due" and "duele" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deux vs due". 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 #211,890 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.