Which to use
“dit” is a pronoun and “dun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,275
- “dit” frequency rank
- #45,320
- “dun” frequency rank
- 91595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dit | dun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | isso; pronome neutro que se refere a uma coisa ou pessoa próxima | penugem imatura em pássaros jovens |
Where the eye mixes dit and dun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dit with dun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dit is [dɪt] 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 (pronoun vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 91595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dit is recorded at frequency rank #46,275, classified as apron, pronounced [dɪt]. 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 91595, this pair ranks #207 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dit vs dun
Shared letters: d. Private to "dit": it. Private to "dun": nu.
"dit" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dit" for "dun" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "dit" or "dun" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dit" 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 #207 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dit" and "dun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #207 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.