Which to use
“cem” is a num and “céu” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,188
- “cem” frequency rank
- #1,163
- “céu” frequency rank
- 4351
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cem | céu |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | parte do espaço que parece formar uma abóbada em cima de nossas cabeças; abóbada celeste |
Where the eye mixes cem and céu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cem vs céu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cem is /ˈsɐ̃j̃/ while céu is /ˈsɛw/. 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 (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4351, 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/. céu is at rank #1,163, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɛw/.
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 4351, this pair ranks #70,590 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cem vs céu
Shared letters: c. Private to "cem": em. Private to "céu": ué.
"cem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "céu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cem" and "céu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "cem" vs "céu" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "céu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #70,590 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cem" and "céu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "céu vs chau". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #70,590 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.