Which to use
“fon” is an adjective and “fui” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,372
- “fon” frequency rank
- #365
- “fui” frequency rank
- 44737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fon | fui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | relativo à etnia dos fons | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito simples do indicativo do verbo ir: |
Where the eye mixes fon and fui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. fon (CVC) and fui (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between fon and fui
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fon is /ˈfõ/ while fui is /ˈfuj/. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fon is recorded at frequency rank #44,372, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfõ/. fui is at rank #365, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfuj/.
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 44737, this pair ranks #20,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fon vs fui
Shared letters: f. Private to "fon": no. Private to "fui": iu.
"fon" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fui" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fon" and "fui" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "fon" or "fui"?
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 "fon" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #20,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fon" and "fui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fern vs fon". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #20,689 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.