Which to use
“do” is a contraction and “dois” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6
- “do” frequency rank
- #109
- “dois” frequency rank
- 115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | do | dois |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contração da preposição de com o artigo definido o | 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 do and dois apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
do and dois form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “do” sits inside “dois” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
do is recorded at frequency rank #6, classified as acontraction, pronounced /du/ (/do/, se enfático). 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 115, this pair ranks #75,549 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "do" and "dois" be used interchangeably?
Remembering do vs dois
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “do”; for a num, it's “dois”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “do” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable