Which to use
“number” and “número” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,801
- “number” frequency rank
- #266
- “número” frequency rank
- 14067
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | number | número |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | número | quantidade |
Where the eye mixes number and número
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. number (CVCCVC) and número (CVCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between number and número
A purely visual mix-up. number (/ˈnʌm.bə/) and número (/'numeru/) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14067, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
number is recorded at frequency rank #13,801, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈnʌm.bə/. número is at rank #266, tagged as anoun, pronounced /'numeru/.
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 14067, this pair ranks #58,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of number vs número
Shared letters: emnr. Private to "number": bu. Private to "número": oú.
"number" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "número" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- number ← nmuber · nnumber · nubmer · numbber · numberr · numbre · numebr · nummber
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "number" for "número" ever safe?
Frequency check: "number" vs "número" - which ranks higher?
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 "number" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "número" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #58,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "number" and "número" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "número vs numeroso". 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 #58,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.