Which to use
“cem” is a num and “cepa” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,188
- “cem” frequency rank
- #40,036
- “cepa” frequency rank
- 43224
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cem | cepa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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) | tronco de videira |
Where the eye mixes cem and cepa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cem and cepa
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cem is /ˈsɐ̃j̃/ while cepa is /ˈse.pɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43224, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cem is recorded at frequency rank #3,188, classified as anum, pronounced /ˈsɐ̃j̃/. cepa is at rank #40,036, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈse.pɐ/.
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 43224, this pair ranks #22,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cem vs cepa
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cem": m. Private to "cepa": ap.
"cem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "cepa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cepa ← ccepa · ceap · ceppa · cpea · ecpa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cem" for "cepa" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cem" vs "cepa" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cepa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cem" and "cepa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cepa vs cerda". 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 #22,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.