Which to use
“dam” is a noun and “dar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,654
- “dam” frequency rank
- #161
- “dar” frequency rank
- 34815
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dam | dar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | senhora | transferir a posse de algo, gratuitamente, para outrem |
Where the eye mixes dam and dar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dam with dar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dam is /dɑːm/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while dar is /ˈdaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “dam” becomes r in “dar”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34815, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dam is recorded at frequency rank #34,654, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɑːm/ ouvir^(fonte ?). dar is at rank #161, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈdaɾ/.
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 34815, this pair ranks #32,359 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dam vs dar
Shared letters: ad. Private to "dam": m. Private to "dar": r.
"dam" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dar" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dam" and "dar" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "dam" vs "dar" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #32,359 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dam" and "dar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dam vs dat". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #32,359 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.