Word Confusion: Dew vs Do vs Due

Posted October 7, 2013 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
1 July 2023

I hate to say it, but I see this word confusion way too often in the Goodreads threads. I am most impressed with myself that I actually restrain myself from correcting them. Well, you have no idea how difficult it is for me to not edit this sort of thing . . . just ask my family! It took years before I stopped sending their letters back with corrections! Yes, I’m a pain, I freely admit it.

Meanwhile, do restrain yourselves from mixing these three heterographs up. It’ll do your reputation more good than may be due it, but if you do it, you’ll do well. And you’ll avoid the dew-laden cheeks of your sobbing readers.

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Exploring Later . . .

You may also want to explore “Does vs Doughs vs Doz“, “Do versus Make“, or “ Dos, Do’s versus Dues“.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Dew vs Do vs Due” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Dew	Do	Due
Dew on Grass by Luc Viatour is under the GFDL license, via Wikimedia Commons.	We Can Do It! poster from 1943 by J. Howard Miller (1918–2004), an artist employed by Westinghouse, poster, was used by the War Production Co-ordinating Committee and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.	Mister, Your Room Rent’s Due was written by Burt Grant and composed by Elmer Bowman is in the public domain and courtesy of the New York Public Library, via Picryl.
Part of Grammar:
Abbreviation ¹; Noun ¹, ²; Verb, transitive ² Plural for the noun: dews Gerund: dewing Third person present verb: dews Past tense or past participle: dewed Present participle: dewing	Abbreviation ¹; Noun ¹, ²; Verb ¹, auxiliary, intransitive, & transitive Plural for the noun: dos or do’s Third person present verb: does Past tense: did Past participle: done Present participle: doing	Adjective; Adverb; Noun Plural for noun: dues
Abbreviation: Distant Early Warning ¹ Noun: A radar system in North America set up during the Cold War for the early detection of a missile attack ¹ Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapor condenses ² Something like or suggestive of this, especially in freshness [In singular noun] A beaded or glistening liquid resembling dew Small drops of moisture, such as tears or sweat [Botany] Droplets of water produced by a plant in transpiration [Informal] Scotch whisky Mountain dew Verb, transitive: Wet a part of someone’s body with a beaded or glistening liquid ² [Poetic] To moisten with or as with dew	Abbreviation: Defense order ¹ Ditto Double occupancy [All caps] Doctor of optometry [All caps] Doctor of osteopathic medicine [All caps] Doctor of osteopathy Noun: [Informal] Short for hairdo ¹ Also ‘do [Informal, chiefly British] A party or other social event [British, archaic or informal] A swindle or hoax [Music; in solmization] First and eighth note of a major scale ² The note C in the fixed-do system Verb, auxiliary: Used before a verb (But not with be, can, may, ought, shall, will) in questions and negative statements ¹ Used to make tag questions Used in negative commands Used to refer to a verb already mentioned Used to give emphasis to a positive verb Used in positive commands to give polite encouragement Used with inversion of a subject and verb when an adverbial phrase begins a clause for emphasis [Slang; also doo] Excrement Verb, intransitive: Achieve or complete, in particular: ¹ [Informal] Finish Act or behave in a specified way Make progress or perform in a specified way Get on Be suitable or acceptable Verb, transitive: Perform an action (the precise nature of which is often unspecified) ¹ Perform a particular task Act or behave in a specified way Have a specified effect on Work on something to bring it to completion or to a required state Make or have available and provide Solve Work out Cook food to completion or to a specified degree [Often in questions] Work at for a living Result in Produce or give a performance of a particular play, opera, etc. Perform a particular role, song, etc., or imitate a particular person in order to entertain people [Informal] Take a narcotic drug Attend to someone [Vulgar slang] Have sexual intercourse with [Informal; do it] Have sexual intercourse [Informal; do it] Urinate Defecate Achieve or complete, in particular: Travel a specified distance Travel at a specified speed Make a particular journey Achieve a specified sales figure [Informal] Visit as a tourist, especially in a superficial or hurried way Spend a specified period of time, typically in prison or in a particular occupation [be done] Be over [be done with; have done with] Give up concern for Have finished with [Informal] Beat up Kill [Usually be done] Ruin Rob (a place) [British] Swindle [British; informal; usually be/get done for] Prosecute Convict Be suitable or acceptable	Adjective: [Predic.] Expected at or planned for at a certain time [Of a payment] Required at a certain time [Of a person] Having reached a point where the thing mentioned is required or owed [Of a thing] Required or owed as a legal or moral obligation [Attrib.] Of the proper quality or extent Adequate Adverb: [With reference to a point of the compass] Exactly Directly Noun: [one’s due] A person’s right What is owed to someone [dues] An obligatory payment Fee
Examples:
Abbreviation: In Frances Jewel Dickson’s The DEW Line Years: Voices from the Coldest Cold War, she recounts memories from manning those Distant Early Warning posts during the Cold War years. “In December 1954, construction began on the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, an integrated chain of 63 radar and communication centres stretching 3000 miles from Western Alaska across the Canadian Arctic to Greenland” (Harris). In 1985, the North Warning System replaced the DEW Line. Noun: A cold, heavy dew dripped from the leaves. Her body had broken out in a fine dew of perspiration. She had a freshness to her, the dew of youth. Mountain dew was originally a nickname for moonshine. The soda, Mountain Dew, is produced by PepsiCo and was first invented in 1940 in the mountains of Tennessee. Verb, transitive: Sweat dewed her lashes. Her juices dewing on those luscious lips aroused Jared. A gentle rain fell, dewing her cheeks as if with tears.	Abbreviation: The lieutenant just got the new DO for the unit. If one folds his arms, so does the other; if one crosses his legs, d.o. While the DO is good for two, a single person can rent it. A DO can diagnose and treat basic glaucoma. ODs get extra training in the musculoskeletal system. Noun: Hey, is that a new ‘do? Are you coming to the soccer club Christmas do? Do you remember that huge do with Madoff? The seven syllables used in English-speaking countries are do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. Movable-do and fixed-do are two systems whereby a musician can learn to develop relative pitch and absolute pitch. The company’s in deep financial doo, so can be bought cheap. Verb, auxiliary: Do you have any pets? Did he see me? I do smoke. Do you really think it matters? You do write poetry! I never seem to say the right thing, do I? Don’t be silly. Do not forget. He looks better than he did before. You wanted to enjoy yourself, and you did. As the cops get smarter, so do the crooks. I do want to act on this. He did look tired. Do tell me! Do sit down. Only rarely did they succumb. Not only did the play close, the theater closed. Verb, intransitive: You must sit there and wait till I’m done. We’re done arguing. They are free to do as they please. You did well to bring her back. When a team is doing badly, it’s not easy for a new player to settle in. Mrs. Walters, how’re you doing? It takes them longer to do their hair than me. She’s the secretary and does the publicity. He’s doing bistro food. Many hotels don’t do single rooms at all. He decided to do her a favor. Joe was doing sums aloud. If a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, then your pie is done. What does she do? If he’s anything like you, he’ll do. Verb, transitive: Something must be done about the city’s traffic. She knew what she was doing. What can I do for you? Brian was making eyes at the girl, and had been doing so for most of the hearing. Dad always did the cooking on Sundays. The walk will do me good. The years of stagnation did a lot of harm to the younger generation. The Royal Shakespeare Company is doing Macbeth next month. He not only does Schwarzenegger and Groucho, he becomes them. He doesn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. The barber said he’d do me next. One car I looked at had done 112,000 miles. I was speeding, doing seventy-five. Last time I did New York—Philadelphia round trip by train, it was over 80 bucks. Our best-selling album did about a million worldwide. The tourists are allotted only a day to “do” Verona. He did five years for manslaughter. The special formula continues to beautify your tan when the day is done. I would sell the place and have done with it. Steve was not done with her. This would be an easy place to do, and there was plenty of money lying around. In business you had to do your competitors before they did you. Once you falter, you’re done. He was the guy who did Maranzano. We got done for conspiracy to commit murder. A couple of bucks’ll do me.	Adjective: The baby’s due in August. He is due back soon. Talks are due to adjourn tomorrow. The May installment was due. She was due for a raise. You’re more than due a vacation. He was only taking back what was due to him. You must pay any income tax due. Driving without due care and attention. Adverb: We’ll head due south again on the same road. Noun: He attracts more criticism than is his due. He had paid trade union dues for years. That project is due tomorrow.
Derivatives:
Adjective: dewfall, dewier, dewiest, dewless, undewed, dewy-eyed Adverb: dewily Noun: bedew, dewiness, dewdrop	Adjective: do-it-yourself, do-nothing, do-or-die, doable Noun: do-gooder, do-it-yourselfer, do-nothing, do-over, doing
Phrasal Verb
	do away with do by do someone down do something down do for do something for do nothing for do someone in do someone out of do something out do someone over do something over do someone up do something up do with do without
History of the Word:
Its first known use was in 1957. Old English dēaw is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch dauw, the Old Norse dǫgg, and the German Tau (noun) and tauen (verb).	From the Old English dōn, of Germanic origin. Related to the Dutch doen and the German tun from an Indo-European root shared by the Greek tithēmi meaning I place and the Latin facere meaning make, do. Mid-18th century from the Italian do, an arbitrarily chosen syllable replacing ut, taken from a Latin hymn.	From Middle English in the sense of payable and is itself from the Old French deu meaning owed, which is based on the Latin debitus meaning owed from debere meaning owe.
NOTE: Traditional grammarians oppose the prepositional use of the phrase due to (first appeared in print in 1897), but the phrase is so widespread that it is considered standard English. However, it is still recommended that due to the fact be replaced with because as it is less wordy.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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