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 eye mixes iam and imi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. iam (VVC) and imi (VCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: iam vs imi
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "iam" and "imi" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "iam" or "imi"?
Useful next steps
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 "imi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #12,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iam" and "imi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "imi vs ino". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #12,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.