dig vs dois, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#34,238
“dig” frequency rank: #109
“dois” frequency rank: 34347
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	dig	dois
Definition	cavar, escavar	número equivalente a um mais um; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha um elemento e um outro elemento distinto; representado pelo símbolo 2 (algarismos indo-arábicos) ou II (algarismos romanos); seu feminino é duas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dig and dois apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

dig

4 ch

dois

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dig is averb and doisanum. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34347, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dig is recorded at frequency rank #34,238, classified as averb. dois is at rank #109, tagged as anum, pronounced /ˈdojʃ/.

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 34347, this pair ranks #32,949 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dig vs dois

Shared letters: di. Private to "dig": g. Private to "dois": os.

"dig" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dois" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

dois ← ddois · dios · doiss · dosi · odis

Frequency comparison

dig#34,238

dois#109

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dig" and "dois" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dig" is a verb and "dois" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "dig" or "dois"?

"dois" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #109 in our Portuguese list, against #34,238 for "dig". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dig vs dois

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dig”; for a num, it's “dois”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dig” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable