bom

adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“bom” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #96) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#96
frequency rank, Portuguese
840
“B” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)

Corpus desk

Index PT-bom · bom · Portuguese

bom · rank #96 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #96
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 840
  • PHOTO-FINISH melhor

Nearest frequency peer: melhor (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bom”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bom” sits against the nearest ranked Portuguese headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bom vs by
33% similar
bom vs BR
0% similar
bom vs boy
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bom
PropertyValue
Headwordbom
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
Letters3
Frequency rank#96
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bom” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bom lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for bom is neighbouring look-alikes ("by", "BR", …), not just typos; it is anadjective. Frequency #96 among 840 “B” headwords. 13 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for bom in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BR", "boy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is bom, spelled B-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)
  2. 2
    moralmente correto em suas atitudes, de acordo com quem julga
  3. 3
    que corresponde aos padrões aceitos pela comunidade quanto a características físicas ou de funcionamento
  4. 4
    que desempenha bem sua função ou papel, de acordo com as expectativas do meio em que se insere
  5. 5
    que agrada ao paladar; saboroso
  6. 6
    que é misericordioso ou indulgente; magnânimo, caridoso
  7. 7
    livre de algum mal físico, mental etc
  8. 8
    que age com disposição e coragem; bravo, valente
  9. 9
    adequado às circunstâncias; ideal, apropriado
  10. 10
    em conformidade com a lei; válido, confiável
  11. 11
    caracterizado pela cortesia e/ou descontração; afável
  12. 12
    de grande ou considerável dimensão
  13. 13
    não bom¹

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bom appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Bom cristão.
  2. Boa resposta.

This word in other languages

good(English)bueno(Español)bon(Français)gut(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bom"?
"bom" is spelled B-O-M.
What does "bom" mean?
As an adjective, "bom" means: que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)
What words are commonly confused with "bom"?
"bom" is commonly confused with "by", "BR", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "bom" come from?
"bom" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar Portuguese words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ver#94ano#99the#93vez#102

What to do next

You've looked up "bom". Here's where to go from here.

  • "bom" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "by". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #96 among Portuguese headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Portuguese words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list