Which to use
“andava” and “andavam” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,145
- “andava” frequency rank
- #23,193
- “andavam” frequency rank
- 31338
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | andava | andavam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo andar | terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo andar |
Where the eye mixes andava and andavam
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. andava runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against andavam's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between andava and andavam
A purely visual mix-up. andava (/ɐ̃ⁿ.ˈda.vɐ/) and andavam (/ã.ˈda.vã(m)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “andava” sits inside “andavam”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
andava is recorded at frequency rank #8,145, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ̃ⁿ.ˈda.vɐ/. andavam is at rank #23,193, tagged as averb, pronounced /ã.ˈda.vã(m)/.
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 31338, this pair ranks #36,786 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of andava vs andavam
Shared letters: adnv. Private to "andava": -. Private to "andavam": m.
"andava" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "andavam" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "andava" for "andavam" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "andava" or "andavam" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "andava" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "andavam" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,786 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "andava" and "andavam" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "andas vs andava". 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 #36,786 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.