Which to use
“dem” is an article and “doi” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,268
- “dem” frequency rank
- #13,272
- “doi” frequency rank
- 20540
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dem | doi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular | dois; representado pelo algarismo hindu-arábico 2 |
Where the eye mixes dem and doi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: dem vs doi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dem is /deːm/ while doi is /doj/. 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 (article vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20540, 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/. doi is at rank #13,272, tagged as anum, pronounced /doj/.
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 20540, this pair ranks #49,947 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dem vs doi
Shared letters: d. Private to "dem": em. Private to "doi": io.
"dem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "doi" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dem" and "doi" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "dem" or "doi"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "doi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,947 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dem" and "doi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs doi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #49,947 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.