dar vs dun, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“dar” is a verb and “dun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#161
“dar” frequency rank: #45,320
“dun” frequency rank: 45481
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	dar	dun
Definition	transferir a posse de algo, gratuitamente, para outrem	penugem imatura em pássaros jovens

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dar and dun apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

dar

3 ch

dun

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dar is /ˈdaɾ/ while dun is /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45481, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dar is recorded at frequency rank #161, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈdaɾ/. dun is at rank #45,320, tagged as anoun, pronounced /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn].

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 45481, this pair ranks #19,915 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dar vs dun

Shared letters: d. Private to "dar": ar. Private to "dun": nu.

"dar" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

dar#161

dun#45,320

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dar" and "dun" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dar" is a verb and "dun" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "dar" or "dun"?

"dar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #161 in our Portuguese list, against #45,320 for "dun". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dar vs dun

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dar”; for a noun, it's “dun”.
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