Which to use
“de” is a preposition and “di” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1
- “de” frequency rank
- #2,274
- “di” frequency rank
- 2275
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | de | di |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Marque un ablatif. Mot indiquant la provenance, l’origine ^([note 1]). | Autre nom pour la dri, la femelle du yack. |
Where the eye mixes de and di
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: de is \də\ while di is \di\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “de” becomes i in “di”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
de is recorded at frequency rank #1, classified as aprep, pronounced \də\. di is at rank #2,274, tagged as anoun, pronounced \di\.
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 2275, this pair ranks #436,447 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of de vs di
Shared letters: d. Private to "de": e. Private to "di": i.
"de" · 2 letters · shape CV · "di" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "de" and "di" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "de" or "di"?
What to do next
You've compared "de" and "di". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "de" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "di" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #436,447 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "de" and "di" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "DCI vs di". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.