‘Do’ vs ‘Due’: What’s the Difference? Here we have one of the more common words in the English language and an identical-sounding counterpart that has a different meaning. Learning what each of them means is only half the battle, given they sound the same — but don’t worry! This article will help you tell them apart and give you the tools to use both words in your everyday conversations and writing.
In a hurry? Here’s a quick preview of what’s to come:
Aside from the obvious difference in spelling between these two homophones, the primary difference lies in the parts of speech they belong to.
Verbs are words used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and adjectives are words or phrases that name an attribute or description. So, while there are a multitude of definitions for these two words, you can start keeping them separate depending on how they function in a sentence.
Another trick to keeping ‘Do’ vs ‘Due’ apart is how they relate to asking questions. While the word ‘Due’ can appear in question, the word ‘Do’ is often the driver in a question, otherwise known as a question word. This relates to its part of speech (a verb) and shows that the word ‘Do’ is often, well, the doer.
Now that we’ve taken a look at more of the difference between ‘Do’ vs ‘Due,’ let’s investigate each word individually to nail down all the circumstances where each word would be appropriate.
‘Do’ has quite a variety of definitions depending on when and how it appears, but each of them is important to learn, given how common the word is.
According to Oxford Languages, ‘Do’ is a verb that means:
As a verb, it can also mean:
Other verb uses include:
Now that is certainly a lot to cover and learn, but many of these uses are intuitive and will be covered with examples below.
NOTE! Not all the above cases use the infinitive ‘Do’ — they used either ‘Done’ or ‘Doing’ or ‘Did.’
According to Oxford Languages, ‘Due’ is an adjective meaning:
As an adjective, it can also mean:
As a noun, ‘Due’ means:
And finally, as an adverb, ‘Due’ means:
While the number of possible definitions may seem daunting, you can rest easy knowing that both words are impossibly easy to pronounce and are pronounced exactly the same. Now this can pose a challenge occasionally when trying to discern which version of the word is being used, but the definitions will help you with that.
For now, use this phonetic spelling of ‘Do’ and ‘Due’ as a guide:
One of the best ways to sort through multiple definitions of a word is by putting them into action and connecting them to real-world scenarios. We want to provide you with as much context as possible, so here are some example sentences to solidify ‘Do’ vs ‘Due.’
Navigating homophones can be tricky already, given their identical pronunciations but different meanings. Still, in the case of ‘Do’ vs ‘Due,’ the complications typically come when trying to remember all the definitions. The best advice we can offer here is two things: first, remember the different parts of speech and the context they’re more likely to appear in, and second, trust your gut, especially when it comes to ‘Do’ given that it appears in everyday English so frequently.
Want a short recap? Here’s a brief version of what we covered:
Words like ‘Do’ and ‘Due’ can be some of the most frustrating to learn, but if you follow the path we’ve created for you, you’ll be able to master these and other homophones in no time. Be sure to investigate other confusing words to keep expanding and solidifying your vocabulary so you’re set up for linguistic success.
We encourage you to share this article on Twitter and Facebook. Just click those two links - you'll see why.
It's important to share the news to spread the truth. Most people won't.
