Which to use
“iam” is a verb and “ins” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,823
- “iam” frequency rank
- #27,900
- “ins” frequency rank
- 32723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | iam | ins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do plural do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo ir | ao, no, dendro do |
Where the eye mixes iam and ins
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: iam vs ins
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: iam is /ˈi.am/, /ˈi.ɑm/ while ins is /ɪns/. 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 preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32723, 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/. ins is at rank #27,900, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ɪns/.
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 32723, this pair ranks #34,989 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of iam vs ins
Shared letters: i. Private to "iam": am. Private to "ins": ns.
"iam" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ins" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "iam" and "ins" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "iam" vs "ins" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "ins" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,989 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iam" and "ins" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ino vs ins". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #34,989 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.