iamvsimiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“iam” and “imi” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,823
“iam” frequency rank
#47,938
“imi” frequency rank
52761
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature iam imi
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo ir terceira pessoa do singular do passado do indicativo do verbo imeä:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set iam and imi apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
iam
3 ch
imi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. iam (/ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/) and imi (/ˈi.mi/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52761, 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/. imi is at rank #47,938, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈi.mi/.

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 52761, this pair ranks #12,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of iam vs imi

Shared letters: im. Private to "iam": a. Private to "imi": -.

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

Frequency comparison

iam#4,823
imi#47,938

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "iam" and "imi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/ versus /ˈi.mi/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "iam" or "imi"?
"iam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,823 in our Portuguese list, against #47,938 for "imi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering iam vs imi

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 “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