tu

/ˈtu/

//ˈtu// intj

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

The verdict

“tu” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #243) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#243
frequency rank, Portuguese
917
“T” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - expressa sonoridade produzido por telefone indicativo de que o aparelho telefonado foi posto no gancho ou que a linha caiu

Corpus desk

Index PT-tu · tu · Portuguese

tu · rank #243 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #243
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 917
  • PHOTO-FINISH tanto

Nearest frequency peer: tanto (-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 “tu”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “tu” 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).

tu vs ty
50% similar
tu vs tua
67% similar
tu vs two
33% similar

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

Key facts for tu
PropertyValue
Headwordtu
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ˈtu/
Letters2
Frequency rank#243
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tu” 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). tu 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 tu is neighbouring look-alikes ("ty", "tua", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /ˈtu/. Frequency #243 among 917 “T” headwords. Gloss: "expressa sonoridade produzido por telefone indicativo de que o aparelho telefonado foi posto no gancho ou que a linha caiu".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tu, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ty", "tua", "two", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Portuguese form is tu, spelled T-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    expressa sonoridade produzido por telefone indicativo de que o aparelho telefonado foi posto no gancho ou que a linha caiu

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Contos Da Fronteira
  2. E tu, tu, tu, tu, novamente o mesmo desligou o telefone imediatamente

This word in other languages

toot(English)

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 "tu"?
"tu" is spelled T-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtu/.
What does "tu" mean?
As an interjection, "tu" means: expressa sonoridade produzido por telefone indicativo de que o aparelho telefonado foi posto no gancho ou que a linha caiu
What words are commonly confused with "tu"?
"tu" is commonly confused with "ty", "tua", "two". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tu" is /ˈtu/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tu" come from?
"tu" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

What to do next

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

  • "tu" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ty". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #243 among Portuguese headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Portuguese words in the "T" letter cohort. T–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