Which to use
“oba” is a num and “ons” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,674
- “oba” frequency rank
- #48,564
- “ons” frequency rank
- 69238
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | oba | ons |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ambos, um e outro, uma e outra | pronome pessoal neutro do caso nominativo da terceira pessoa do plural |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set oba and ons apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: oba is /ˈʔɔba/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while ons is /ons/. 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 (num vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
oba is recorded at frequency rank #20,674, classified as anum, pronounced /ˈʔɔba/ ouvir^(fonte ?). ons is at rank #48,564, tagged as apron, pronounced /ons/.
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 69238, this pair ranks #4,005 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of oba vs ons
Shared letters: o. Private to "oba": ab. Private to "ons": ns.
"oba" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ons" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "oba" and "ons" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "oba" or "ons"?
Remembering oba vs ons
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “oba”; for a pronoun, it's “ons”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “oba” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable