Which to use
“o” and “os” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3
- “o” frequency rank
- #19
- “os” frequency rank
- 22
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | o | os |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | partícula gramatical usada antes de substantivos ou palavras substantivadas; por geral indica uma coisa em particular | usado para apontar um nome definido, único |
Where the eye mixes o and os
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. o (/u/) and os (/uʃ/, /us/ (menos frequente); enfático: /oʃ/, /os/ (menos frequente)) 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 extra letter(s) - “o” sits inside “os”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
o is recorded at frequency rank #3, classified as anarticle, pronounced /u/. os is at rank #19, tagged as anarticle, pronounced /uʃ/, /us/ (menos frequente); enfático: /oʃ/, /os/ (menos frequente).
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 22, this pair ranks #75,627 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of o vs os
Shared letters: o. Private to "o": -. Private to "os": s.
"o" · 1 letters · shape V · "os" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "o" and "os" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "o" or "os"?
What to do next
You've compared "o" and "os". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "o" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "os" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,627 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "o" and "os" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "oni vs os". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.