Which to use
“dar” is a verb and “do” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #161
- “dar” frequency rank
- #6
- “do” frequency rank
- 167
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dar | do |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | transferir a posse de algo, gratuitamente, para outrem | contração da preposição de com o artigo definido o |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dar and do apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dar and do form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 167, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dar is recorded at frequency rank #161, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈdaɾ/. do is at rank #6, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /du/ (/do/, se enfático).
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 167, this pair ranks #75,478 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dar" and "do" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dar vs do
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dar”; for a contraction, it's “do”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dar” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable