Which to use
“sã” is a noun and “só” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,153
- “sã” frequency rank
- #50
- “só” frequency rank
- 17203
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sã | só |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tempo propício, adequado, para semear | solitário, sem companhia, sem círculo social |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sã and só apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sã is anoun and sóanadjective. On the page they differ by a single letter - ã in “sã” becomes ó in “só”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sã is recorded at frequency rank #17,153, classified as anoun. só is at rank #50, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈsɔ/.
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 17203, this pair ranks #54,110 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sã vs só
Shared letters: s. Private to "sã": ã. Private to "só": ó.
"sã" · 2 letters · shape CV · "só" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sã" and "só" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sã" or "só"?
Remembering sã vs só
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sã”; for an adjective, it's “só”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sã” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable