Which to use
“Imam” and “irmã” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,047
- “Imam” frequency rank
- #939
- “irmã” frequency rank
- 42986
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Imam | irmã |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | imã | aquela que em relação a outrem, possui os dois pais (o mesmo pai e a mesma mãe ao mesmo tempo) em comum |
Where the eye mixes Imam and irmã
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Imam (VCVC) and irmã (VCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Imam and irmã
A purely visual mix-up. Imam (/iˈmaːm/) and irmã (/iɾ.ˈmɐ̃/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Imam is recorded at frequency rank #42,047, classified as anoun, pronounced /iˈmaːm/. irmã is at rank #939, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iɾ.ˈmɐ̃/.
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 42986, this pair ranks #22,707 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Imam vs irmã
Shared letters: im. Private to "Imam": a. Private to "irmã": rã.
"Imam" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "irmã" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Imam ← iamm · imamm · imma · immam · miam
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Imam" and "irmã" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "Imam" or "irmã" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Imam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "irmã" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,707 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Imam" and "irmã" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Imam vs imi". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #22,707 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.