dixvsduaWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: dix is a num, dua is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#30,110
“dix” frequency rank
#39,112
“dua” frequency rank
69222
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dix dua
Definition dez querer

Where the eye mixes dix and dua

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
dix
3 ch
dua

Look-alike desk: dix vs dua

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dix is /dis/ while dua is /ˈdwa/. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dix is recorded at frequency rank #30,110, classified as anum, pronounced /dis/. dua is at rank #39,112, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈdwa/.

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 69222, this pair ranks #4,011 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dix vs dua

Shared letters: d. Private to "dix": ix. Private to "dua": au.

"dix" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "dua" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "dix" and "dua" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dix" is a num and "dua" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dix" or "dua"?
"dix" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,110 in our Portuguese list, against #39,112 for "dua". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "dix" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dua" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #4,011 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "dix" and "dua" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dua". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #4,011 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