Which to use
“iam” is a verb and “ice” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,823
- “iam” frequency rank
- #10,198
- “ice” frequency rank
- 15021
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | iam | ice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo ir | gelo |
Where the eye mixes iam and ice
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses iam with ice
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: iam is /ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/ while ice is /ˈɑɪs/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
iam is recorded at frequency rank #4,823, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/. ice is at rank #10,198, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɑɪs/.
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 15021, this pair ranks #56,931 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of iam vs ice
Shared letters: i. Private to "iam": am. Private to "ice": ce.
"iam" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ice" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "iam" and "ice" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "iam" or "ice" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "iam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ice" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #56,931 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iam" and "ice" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ice vs ino". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #56,931 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.