donevsDowneyWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: done is a noun, Downey is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“done” is a noun and “Downey” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,986
“done” frequency rank
#37,281
“Downey” frequency rank
58267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature done Downey
Definition Demoiselle, jeune dame, parfois opposé à dame. Nom de famille.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set done and Downey apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
done
6 ch
Downey

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: done is anoun and Downeyaname. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

done is recorded at frequency rank #20,986, classified as anoun. Downey is at rank #37,281, tagged as aname, pronounced \daw.nɛ\.

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 58267, this pair ranks #110,051 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of done vs Downey

Shared letters: deno. Private to "done": -. Private to "Downey": wy.

"done" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Downey" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • doneddone · dnoe · doen
  • Downeyddowney · donwey · doweny · downeyy · downney · downye · dowwney · dwoney

Frequency comparison

done#20,986
Downey#37,281

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "done" and "Downey" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "done" is a noun and "Downey" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "done" or "Downey"?
"done" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,986 in our French list, against #37,281 for "Downey". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering done vs Downey

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “done”; for a name, it's “Downey”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “done” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list