cedovscemWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: cedo is a adverb, cem is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“cedo” is an adverb and “cem” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,043
“cedo” frequency rank
#3,188
“cem” frequency rank
4231
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cedo cem
Definition Antes da hora desejada ou costumeira, prematuramente; 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 spellings diverge

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

4 ch
cedo
3 ch
cem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

cedo and cem 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4231, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cedo is recorded at frequency rank #1,043, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈse.du/. 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 4231, this pair ranks #70,751 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

cedo#1,043
cem#3,188

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cedo" and "cem" be used interchangeably?
No, "cedo" and "cem" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering cedo vs cem

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “cedo”; for a num, it's “cem”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cedo” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list