Which to use
“det” and “do” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,976
- “det” frequency rank
- #2,819
- “do” frequency rank
- 37795
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | det | do |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mer. | Première note de la gamme. |
Where the eye mixes det and do
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: det vs do
A purely visual mix-up. det (\ˈdet\) and do (\do\) 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 37795, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
det is recorded at frequency rank #34,976, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈdet\. do is at rank #2,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced \do\.
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 37795, this pair ranks #259,883 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of det vs do
Shared letters: d. Private to "det": et. Private to "do": o.
"det" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "do" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "det" and "do" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "det" or "do" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "det" and "do" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "det" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "do" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #259,883 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "det" and "do" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "DCI vs det". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #259,883 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.