Which to use
“dem” is an article and “dom” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,268
- “dem” frequency rank
- #1,921
- “dom” frequency rank
- 9189
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dem | dom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular | casa (construção que serve de moradia) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dem and dom apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dem and dom 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 a single letter - e in “dem” becomes o in “dom” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9189, 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/. dom is at rank #1,921, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɔm/.
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 9189, this pair ranks #64,329 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dem" and "dom" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dem vs dom
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “dem”; for a noun, it's “dom”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dem” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable