Which to use
“dun” and “duo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,320
- “dun” frequency rank
- #15,317
- “duo” frequency rank
- 60637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dun | duo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | penugem imatura em pássaros jovens | grupo de duas pessoas que atuam conjuntamente |
Where the eye mixes dun and duo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. dun (CVC) and duo (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses dun with duo
A purely visual mix-up. dun (/duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]) and duo ([du.o], Plural: [du.os]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “dun” becomes o in “duo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dun is recorded at frequency rank #45,320, classified as anoun, pronounced /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]. duo is at rank #15,317, tagged as anoun, pronounced [du.o], Plural: [du.os].
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 60637, this pair ranks #7,544 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dun vs duo
Shared letters: du. Private to "dun": n. Private to "duo": o.
"dun" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "duo" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dun" for "duo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "dun" or "duo"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dun" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #7,544 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dun" and "duo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs dun". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #7,544 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.