Which to use
“hem” and “hum” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,124
- “hem” frequency rank
- #7,922
- “hum” frequency rank
- 35046
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hem | hum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | expressa incompreensão, não entendimento, simultaneamente comunicando àquele ao qual se dirige, que elucide o sentido, o nexo, que dê clareza ou que melhor se fale ou expresse o que se acabou de comunicar | (com realização com alongamento da vogal nasal) expressa dúvida, receio, inquietação, reticência |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hem and hum apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
hem and hum form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - e in “hem” becomes u in “hum” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hem is recorded at frequency rank #27,124, classified as anintj, pronounced /ẽɲ/. hum is at rank #7,922, tagged as anintj, pronounced /ˈũ/.
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 35046, this pair ranks #32,082 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hem" and "hum" be used interchangeably?
Remembering hem vs hum
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hem” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable