Which to use
“dez” is an adjective and “dun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #771
- “dez” frequency rank
- #45,320
- “dun” frequency rank
- 46091
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dez | dun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dotado de bons atributos | penugem imatura em pássaros jovens |
Where the eye mixes dez and dun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dez with dun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dez is /ˈdɛʃ/ while dun is /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dez is recorded at frequency rank #771, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdɛʃ/. 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 46091, this pair ranks #19,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dez vs dun
Shared letters: d. Private to "dez": ez. Private to "dun": nu.
"dez" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dez" and "dun" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "dez" or "dun" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dez" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dez" and "dun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dun". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #19,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.