Which to use
“an” is an adverb and “asno” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,817
- “an” frequency rank
- #40,433
- “asno” frequency rank
- 43250
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | an | asno |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ligado, aceso: | burro |
Where the eye mixes an and asno
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: an vs asno
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: an is /an/ while asno is /ˈaʒ.nu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
an is recorded at frequency rank #2,817, classified as anadv, pronounced /an/. asno is at rank #40,433, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaʒ.nu/.
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 43250, this pair ranks #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of an vs asno
Shared letters: an. Private to "an": -. Private to "asno": os.
"an" · 2 letters · shape VC · "asno" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- asno ← anso · asnno · ason · assno · sano
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "an" for "asno" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "an" or "asno" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "an" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "asno" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "an" and "asno" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ASC vs asno". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.