dickvsdigConfusable pair

Quick tell: dick is a adjective, dig is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dick” is an adjective and “dig” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,607
“dick” frequency rank
#34,238
“dig” frequency rank
42845
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dick dig
Definition grosso, espesso cavar, escavar

Letter map: dick vs dig

Shared letters muted; letters that set dick and dig apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

4 ch
dick
3 ch
dig

Grammar separator: dick vs dig

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dick is anadjective and digaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dick is recorded at frequency rank #8,607, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdɪk/ ouvir^(fonte ?). dig is at rank #34,238, tagged as averb.

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 42845, this pair ranks #22,868 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dick vs dig

Shared letters: di. Private to "dick": ck. Private to "dig": g.

"dick" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "dig" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dickdcik · ddick · dicck · dickk · dikc · idck

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "dick" for "dig" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dick" is an adjective and "dig" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "dick" vs "dig" - which ranks higher?
"dick" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,607 in our Portuguese list, against #34,238 for "dig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "dick" and "dig".

  • Full dictionary entry for "dick" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #22,868 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dick" and "dig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dig". 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 #22,868 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list