demvsdigConfusable pair

Quick tell: dem is a article, dig is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dem” is an article and “dig” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,268
“dem” frequency rank
#34,238
“dig” frequency rank
41506
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dem dig
Definition o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular cavar, escavar

Letter map: dem vs dig

Shared letters muted; letters that set dem and dig apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

3 ch
dem
3 ch
dig

Grammar separator: dem vs dig

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dem is anarticle and digaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dem is recorded at frequency rank #7,268, classified as anarticle, pronounced /deːm/. dig is at rank #34,238, tagged as averb.

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 41506, this pair ranks #24,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dem vs dig

Shared letters: d. Private to "dem": em. Private to "dig": gi.

"dem" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "dig" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "dem" and "dig" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dem" is an article and "dig" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "dem" vs "dig" - which ranks higher?
"dem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,268 in our Portuguese list, against #34,238 for "dig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pair "dem" vs "dig" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "dem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #24,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dem" and "dig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dig". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #24,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list