Which to use
“am” is an article and “ao” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,705
- “am” frequency rank
- #27
- “ao” frequency rank
- 2732
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | am | ao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o / a usado com substantivos masculinos no caso nominativo singular quando a palavra começar com as letra b, f, m, p | contração da preposição a com o artigo definido o |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set am and ao apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
am and ao form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - m in “am” becomes o in “ao” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2732, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
am is recorded at frequency rank #2,705, classified as anarticle. ao is at rank #27, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /aw/.
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 2732, this pair ranks #72,543 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "am" and "ao" be used interchangeably?
Remembering am vs ao
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “am”; for a contraction, it's “ao”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “am” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable