Which to use
“densa” and “dona” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,029
- “densa” frequency rank
- #2,475
- “dona” frequency rank
- 18504
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | densa | dona |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | forma feminina de denso | ruim, mau |
Where the eye mixes densa and dona
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. densa runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against dona's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses densa with dona
A purely visual mix-up. densa (/ˈdẽ.sɐ/) and dona (/ˈt̪ɔnə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
densa is recorded at frequency rank #16,029, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdẽ.sɐ/. dona is at rank #2,475, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈt̪ɔnə/.
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 18504, this pair ranks #52,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of densa vs dona
Shared letters: adn. Private to "densa": es. Private to "dona": o.
"densa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "dona" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "densa" for "dona" ever safe?
Frequency check: "densa" vs "dona" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "densa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dona" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #52,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "densa" and "dona" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dona vs doula". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #52,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.