Which to use
“certain” is an adjective and “certame” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,061
- “certain” frequency rank
- #17,225
- “certame” frequency rank
- 52286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | certain | certame |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | certo, seguro, indubitável | combate, briga, contenda |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set certain and certame apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
certain and certame form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
certain is recorded at frequency rank #35,061, classified as anadj, pronounced /sɛʁ.tɛ̃/. certame is at rank #17,225, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sɨɾ.ˈtɐ.mɨ/.
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 52286, this pair ranks #12,890 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "certain" and "certame" be used interchangeably?
Remembering certain vs certame
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “certain”; for a noun, it's “certame”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “certain” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable