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 eye mixes iam and ici
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. iam (VVC) and ici (VCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: iam vs ici
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "iam" and "ici" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "iam" or "ici"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "iam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ici" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iam" and "ici" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ici vs ino". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #14,259 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.