Which to use
“oba” is a num and “os” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,674
- “oba” frequency rank
- #19
- “os” frequency rank
- 20693
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | oba | os |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ambos, um e outro, uma e outra | usado para apontar um nome definido, único |
Where the eye mixes oba and os
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between oba and os
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: oba is /ˈʔɔba/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while os is /uʃ/, /us/ (menos frequente); enfático: /oʃ/, /os/ (menos frequente). Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs article), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20693, 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 ?). 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 20693, this pair ranks #49,749 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of oba vs os
Shared letters: o. Private to "oba": ab. Private to "os": s.
"oba" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "os" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "oba" and "os" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "oba" vs "os" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "oba" and "os" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "oba" 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 #49,749 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "oba" and "os" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "oba vs oni". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #49,749 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.