both

/bəʊθ/

//bəʊθ// conj

The verdict

“both” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #31,265 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a conjunction.

#31,265
frequency rank, Portuguese
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ambos, tanto

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

both vs boy
50% similar
both vs box
50% similar
both vs but
50% similar

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

Key facts for both
PropertyValue
Headwordboth
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechConjunction
IPA/bəʊθ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,265
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “both” 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). both lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for both is 4 letters long, classified as a conjunction, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bəʊθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,265 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "ambos, tanto".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for both, with forms such as "bboth", "boht", and "bothh". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boy", "box", "but", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is both, spelled B-O-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    ambos, tanto

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bboth,boht,bothh,botth,btoh,obth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of both - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bboth1boht2bothh1botth1btoh2obth2
Edit distance from "both"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "both"?
"both" is spelled B-O-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bəʊθ/.
What does "both" mean?
As a conjunction, "both" means: ambos, tanto
What words are commonly confused with "both"?
"both" is commonly confused with "boy", "box", "but". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "both"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "both" is /bəʊθ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "both" come from?
"both" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “both”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is B-O-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəʊθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “boy” - see the side-by-side comparison. both vs boy
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list