Which to use
“cão” is an adjective and “cem” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,065
- “cão” frequency rank
- #3,188
- “cem” frequency rank
- 6253
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cão | cem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | cruel, brutal, dominador | número equivalente a dez dezenas; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha uma centena de elementos distintos; representado pelo símbolo 100 (algarismos arábicos) ou C (algarismos romanos) |
Where the eye mixes cão and cem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between cão and cem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cão is /ˈkɐ̃ũ̯/ while cem is /ˈsɐ̃j̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cão is recorded at frequency rank #3,065, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɐ̃ũ̯/. cem is at rank #3,188, tagged as anum, pronounced /ˈsɐ̃j̃/.
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 6253, this pair ranks #68,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cão vs cem
Shared letters: c. Private to "cão": oã. Private to "cem": em.
"cão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "cem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cão" and "cem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "cão" vs "cem" - which ranks higher?
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 "cão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cão" and "cem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cão vs chau". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #68,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.