Which to use
“ei” is a noun and “em” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,629
- “ei” frequency rank
- #7
- “em” frequency rank
- 2636
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ei | em |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ovo | exprime a ideia de: |
Where the eye mixes ei and em
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ei and em
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ei is /ˈɛɪ/ while em is /ɐj̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “ei” becomes m in “em”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ei is recorded at frequency rank #2,629, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɛɪ/. em is at rank #7, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ɐj̃/.
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 2636, this pair ranks #72,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ei vs em
Shared letters: e. Private to "ei": i. Private to "em": m.
"ei" · 2 letters · shape VV · "em" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ei" and "em" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "ei" or "em" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "em" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ei" and "em" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ei vs elio". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.