iamvsiciWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: iam is a verb, ici is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“iam” is a verb and “ici” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,823
“iam” frequency rank
#45,880
“ici” frequency rank
50703
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature iam ici
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo ir aqui

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set iam and ici apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
iam
3 ch
ici

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: iam is /ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/ while ici is \i.si\. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50703, 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/. ici is at rank #45,880, tagged as anadv, pronounced \i.si\.

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 50703, this pair ranks #14,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of iam vs ici

Shared letters: i. Private to "iam": am. Private to "ici": c.

"iam" · 3 letters · shape VVC  ·  "ici" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

iam#4,823
ici#45,880

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "iam" and "ici" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "iam" is a verb and "ici" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "iam" or "ici"?
"iam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,823 in our Portuguese list, against #45,880 for "ici". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering iam vs ici

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “iam”; for an adverb, it's “ici”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “iam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list