vssomWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“sã” and “som” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,153
“sã” frequency rank
#1,134
“som” frequency rank
18287
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature som
Definition tempo propício, adequado, para semear onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz):

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set and som apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
sã
3 ch
som

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

and som are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

is recorded at frequency rank #17,153, classified as anoun. som is at rank #1,134, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsõ/.

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 18287, this pair ranks #52,735 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sã vs som

Shared letters: s. Private to "sã": ã. Private to "som": mo.

"sã" · 2 letters · shape CV  ·  "som" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

#17,153
som#1,134

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sã" and "som" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "sã" or "som"?
"som" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,134 in our Portuguese list, against #17,153 for "sã". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sã vs som

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list