Which to use
“nad” is a preposition and “nei” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,954
- “nad” frequency rank
- #27,191
- “nei” frequency rank
- 61145
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nad | nei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | em cima, acima de | negar |
Where the eye mixes nad and nei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. nad (CVC) and nei (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses nad with nei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nad is /ˈnat/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while nei is /ˈnɛ.i/.. 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 (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61145, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nad is recorded at frequency rank #33,954, classified as aprep, pronounced /ˈnat/ ouvir^(fonte ?). nei is at rank #27,191, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈnɛ.i/..
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 61145, this pair ranks #7,283 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nad vs nei
Shared letters: n. Private to "nad": ad. Private to "nei": ei.
"nad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nad" and "nei" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "nad" or "nei" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "nad" and "nei" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "nad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #7,283 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nad" and "nei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nad vs nadie". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #7,283 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.