Which to use
“dead” is an adjective and “dem” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,859
- “dead” frequency rank
- #7,268
- “dem” frequency rank
- 14127
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dead | dem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | morto | o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dead and dem apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dead and dem 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 14127, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dead is recorded at frequency rank #6,859, classified as anadj. 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 14127, this pair ranks #58,038 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dead" and "dem" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dead vs dem
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dead”; for an article, it's “dem”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dead” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable