da

/da/

//da// contraction

The verdict

“da” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #8) as a contraction. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#8
frequency rank, Portuguese
2,399
“D” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - contração da preposição de com o artigo definido a

Corpus desk

Index PT-da · da · Portuguese

da · rank #8 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #8
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,399
  • PHOTO-FINISH em

Nearest frequency peer: em (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “da”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “da” sits against the nearest ranked Portuguese headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

da vs de
50% similar
da vs do
50% similar
da vs DJ
0% similar

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

Key facts for da
PropertyValue
Headwordda
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechContraction
IPA/da/
Letters2
Frequency rank#8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “da” sits in Portuguese 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). da lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for da is neighbouring look-alikes ("de", "do", …), not just typos; it is acontraction pronounced /da/. Frequency #8 among 2,399 “D” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

da doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "de", "do", "DJ", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is da, spelled D-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    contração da preposição de com o artigo definido a
  2. 2
    contração da preposição de com o pronome demonstrativo a

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 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "da"?
"da" is spelled D-A. The IPA pronunciation is /da/.
What does "da" mean?
As a contraction, "da" means: contração da preposição de com o artigo definido a
What words are commonly confused with "da"?
"da" is commonly confused with "de", "do", "DJ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "da"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "da" is /da/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "da" come from?
"da" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.
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