Which to use
“dem” is an article and “dub” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,268
- “dem” frequency rank
- #35,557
- “dub” frequency rank
- 42825
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dem | dub |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o, ao, do, artigo definido masculino do caso dativo singular | carvalho |
Where the eye mixes dem and dub
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. dem and dub follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: dem vs dub
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dem is /deːm/ while dub is /ˈdʊp/, ouvir^(fonte ?). 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42825, 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/. dub is at rank #35,557, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈdʊp/, ouvir^(fonte ?).
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 42825, this pair ranks #22,887 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dem vs dub
Shared letters: d. Private to "dem": em. Private to "dub": bu.
"dem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dub" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dem" and "dub" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "dem" or "dub" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dub" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,887 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dem" and "dub" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dub". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #22,887 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.