som

/ˈsõ/

//ˈsõ// noun

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

The verdict

“som” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #1,134 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,134
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz):

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

som vs su
33% similar
som vs SW
0% similar
som vs sua
33% similar

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

Key facts for som
PropertyValue
Headwordsom
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsõ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,134
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “som” 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). som 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 som is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsõ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,134 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for som, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "SW", "sua", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Portuguese form is som, spelled S-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz):
  2. 2
    ruído, barulho
  3. 3
    música:
  4. 4
    estilo musical:
  5. 5
    qualquer emissão audível, diretamente ou através de aparelhos, de alguma função orgânica
  6. 6
    timbre:

This word in other languages

sound(English)sonido(Español)son(Français)Klang(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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "som"?
"som" is spelled S-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsõ/.
What does "som" mean?
As a noun, "som" means: onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz):
What words are commonly confused with "som"?
"som" is commonly confused with "su", "SW", "sua". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "som"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "som" is /ˈsõ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "som" come from?
"som" 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 “som”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is S-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsõ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “su” - see the side-by-side comparison. som vs su
  • 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