Which to use
“dam” is a noun and “dem” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,654
- “dam” frequency rank
- #7,268
- “dem” frequency rank
- 41922
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dam | dem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | senhora | o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular |
Where the eye mixes dam and dem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dam and dem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dam is /dɑːm/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while dem is /deːm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “dam” becomes e in “dem”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs article), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41922, 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 ?). dem is at rank #7,268, tagged as anarticle, pronounced /deːm/.
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 41922, this pair ranks #23,926 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dam vs dem
Shared letters: dm. Private to "dam": a. Private to "dem": e.
"dam" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dam" for "dem" ever safe?
Which is more common, "dam" or "dem"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,926 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dam" and "dem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dam vs dat". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #23,926 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.