Which to use
“nei” is a verb and “now” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,191
- “nei” frequency rank
- #5,122
- “now” frequency rank
- 32313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nei | now |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | negar | agora |
Where the eye mixes nei and now
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between nei and now
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nei is /ˈnɛ.i/. while now is /naʊ/. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nei is recorded at frequency rank #27,191, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈnɛ.i/.. now is at rank #5,122, tagged as anadv, pronounced /naʊ/.
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 32313, this pair ranks #35,525 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nei vs now
Shared letters: n. Private to "nei": ei. Private to "now": ow.
"nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "now" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nei" for "now" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "nei" or "now" 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 "nei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "now" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,525 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nei" and "now" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nami vs nei". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #35,525 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.