due

\dy\

/\dy\/ adj

The verdict

“due” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,838 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,838
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Féminin singulier de dû.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

due vs DV
0% similar
due vs dy
33% similar
due vs dz
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for due
PropertyValue
Headworddue
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\dy\
Letters3
Frequency rank#3,838
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “due” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). due lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for due is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dy\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,838 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Féminin singulier de dû.".

due has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DV", "dy", "dz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is due, spelled D-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Féminin singulier de dû.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "due"?
"due" is spelled D-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \dy\.
What does "due" mean?
As an adjective, "due" means: Féminin singulier de dû.
What words are commonly confused with "due"?
"due" is commonly confused with "DV", "dy", "dz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "due"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "due" is \dy\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "due" come from?
"due" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “due”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is D-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dy\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “DV” - see the side-by-side comparison. due vs DV
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list