Which to use
“den” is an article and “dun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,112
- “den” frequency rank
- #45,320
- “dun” frequency rank
- 64432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | den | dun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o, artigo definido masculino do caso acusativo singular: | penugem imatura em pássaros jovens |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set den and dun apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: den is /deːn/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while dun is /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “den” becomes u in “dun”, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
den is recorded at frequency rank #19,112, classified as anarticle, pronounced /deːn/ ouvir^(fonte ?). dun is at rank #45,320, tagged as anoun, pronounced /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn].
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 64432, this pair ranks #5,783 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of den vs dun
Shared letters: dn. Private to "den": e. Private to "dun": u.
"den" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "den" and "dun" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "den" or "dun"?
Remembering den vs dun
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “den”; for a noun, it's “dun”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “den” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable