Which to use
“dont” is a pronoun and “dun” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #119
- “dont” frequency rank
- #16,344
- “dun” frequency rank
- 16463
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dont | dun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De qui ; de quoi ; duquel ; de laquelle ; desquels , desquelles. | Marron grisâtre #DAC8AE. |
Where the eye mixes dont and dun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dont and dun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dont is \dɔ̃\ while dun is \dʌn\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dont is recorded at frequency rank #119, classified as apron, pronounced \dɔ̃\. dun is at rank #16,344, tagged as anadj, pronounced \dʌn\.
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 16463, this pair ranks #387,732 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dont vs dun
Shared letters: dn. Private to "dont": ot. Private to "dun": u.
"dont" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dont ← ddont · dnot · donnt · dontt · dotn · odnt
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dont" and "dun" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "dont" vs "dun" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dont" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #387,732 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dont" and "dun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "drunk vs dun". 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 #387,732 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.