Which to use
“fora” is an adverb and “foram” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #246
- “fora” frequency rank
- #97
- “foram” frequency rank
- 343
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fora | foram |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | exteriormente | terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo ser |
Where the eye mixes fora and foram
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fora with foram
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fora is /ˈfɔ.ɾɐ/ while foram is /ˈfo.ɾã/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fora” sits inside “foram”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 343, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fora is recorded at frequency rank #246, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈfɔ.ɾɐ/. foram is at rank #97, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfo.ɾã/.
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 343, this pair ranks #75,294 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fora vs foram
Shared letters: afor. Private to "fora": -. Private to "foram": m.
"fora" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "foram" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fora" and "foram" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fora" vs "foram" - 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 "fora" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "foram" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,294 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fora" and "foram" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fern vs fora". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #75,294 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.