alemãvsamaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: alemã is a adjective, ama is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“alemã” is an adjective and “ama” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,970
“alemã” frequency rank
#1,454
“ama” frequency rank
6424
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alemã ama
Definition forma feminina de alemão mulher que amamenta filho alheio

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alemã and ama apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
alemã
3 ch
ama

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: alemã is anadjective and amaanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alemã is recorded at frequency rank #4,970, classified as anadj. ama is at rank #1,454, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɐ.mɐ/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 6424, this pair ranks #68,015 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of alemã vs ama

Shared letters: am. Private to "alemã": elã. Private to "ama": -.

"alemã" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "ama" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

alemã#4,970
ama#1,454

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alemã" and "ama" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "alemã" is an adjective and "ama" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "alemã" or "ama"?
"ama" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,454 in our Portuguese list, against #4,970 for "alemã". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alemã vs ama

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “alemã”; for a noun, it's “ama”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alemã” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list