dat vs dua, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“dat” is a pronoun and “dua” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,908
“dat” frequency rank: #39,112
“dua” frequency rank: 89020
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	dat	dua
Definition	aquele; pronome neutro que se refere a algo ou alguém distante de quem fala	querer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dat and dua apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

dat

3 ch

dua

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dat is [dɑt] while dua is /ˈdwa/. 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 (pronoun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dat is recorded at frequency rank #49,908, classified as apron, pronounced [dɑt]. dua is at rank #39,112, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈdwa/.

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 89020, this pair ranks #362 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dat vs dua

Shared letters: ad. Private to "dat": t. Private to "dua": u.

"dat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dua" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

dat#49,908

dua#39,112

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dat" and "dua" be used interchangeably?

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

Which is more common, "dat" or "dua"?

"dua" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,112 in our Portuguese list, against #49,908 for "dat". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dat vs dua

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “dat”; for a verb, it's “dua”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dat” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable