Which to use
“ei” is a noun and “es” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,629
- “ei” frequency rank
- #2,631
- “es” frequency rank
- 5260
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ei | es |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ovo | ele, ela, aquilo, pronome da terceira pessoa do neutro singular do caso nominativo. |
Where the eye mixes ei and es
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ei vs es
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ei is /ˈɛɪ/ while es is /'ɛs/ ouvir ^(fonte ?). Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “ei” becomes s in “es”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5260, 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/. es is at rank #2,631, tagged as apron, pronounced /'ɛs/ ouvir ^(fonte ?).
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 5260, this pair ranks #69,401 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ei vs es
Shared letters: e. Private to "ei": i. Private to "es": s.
"ei" · 2 letters · shape VV · "es" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ei" and "es" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ei" vs "es" - 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 "ei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "es" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,401 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ei" and "es" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ei vs elio". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #69,401 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.