don'tvsdoneWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: don't is a contraction, done is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“don't” is a contraction and “done” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,553
“don't” frequency rank
#23,299
“done” frequency rank
26852
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature don't done
Definition contração de do not particípio do verbo do

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set don't and done apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
don't
4 ch
done

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: don't is acontraction and doneaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

don't is recorded at frequency rank #3,553, classified as acontraction. done is at rank #23,299, tagged as averb, pronounced /dʌn/; /dɐn/; /dʊn/.

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 26852, this pair ranks #42,230 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of don't vs done

Shared letters: dno. Private to "don't": t. Private to "done": e.

"don't" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "done" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • doneddone · dnoe · doen · donne

Frequency comparison

don't#3,553
done#23,299

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "don't" and "done" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "don't" is a contraction and "done" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "don't" or "done"?
"don't" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,553 in our Portuguese list, against #23,299 for "done". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering don't vs done

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “don't”; for a verb, it's “done”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “don't” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list