dim vs dois, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#29,687
“dim” frequency rank: #109
“dois” frequency rank: 29796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	dim	dois
Definition	opaco, escuro, sem brilho ou claridade:	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 dim and dois apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

dim

4 ch

dois

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dim is /ˈdɪm/ while dois is /ˈdojʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dim is recorded at frequency rank #29,687, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdɪm/. 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 29796, this pair ranks #38,780 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dim vs dois

Shared letters: di. Private to "dim": m. Private to "dois": os.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

dois ← ddois · dios · doiss · dosi · odis

Frequency comparison

dim#29,687

dois#109

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"dois" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #109 in our Portuguese list, against #29,687 for "dim". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dim vs dois

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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