Which to use
“nega” and “nei” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,117
- “nega” frequency rank
- #27,191
- “nei” frequency rank
- 32308
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nega | nei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo negar | negar |
Where the eye mixes nega and nei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. nega runs 4 letters (CVCV) against nei's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: nega vs nei
A purely visual mix-up. nega (/ˈnɛ.ɡɐ/) and nei (/ˈnɛ.i/.) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nega is recorded at frequency rank #5,117, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈnɛ.ɡɐ/. 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 32308, this pair ranks #35,530 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nega vs nei
Shared letters: en. Private to "nega": ag. Private to "nei": i.
"nega" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- nega ← enga · neag · negga · ngea · nnega
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nega" and "nei" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "nega" or "nei"?
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 "nega" 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 #35,530 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nega" and "nei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nami vs nei". 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 #35,530 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.