Which to use
“são” is an adjective and “sme” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34
- “são” frequency rank
- #40,334
- “sme” frequency rank
- 40368
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | são | sme |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | saudável | primeira pessoa do plural do futuro do indicativo do verbo byť |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set são and sme 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: são is anadjective and smeaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40368, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
são is recorded at frequency rank #34, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈsɐ̃w̃/. sme is at rank #40,334, tagged as averb.
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 40368, this pair ranks #25,751 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of são vs sme
Shared letters: s. Private to "são": oã. Private to "sme": em.
"são" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "sme" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "são" and "sme" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "são" or "sme"?
Remembering são vs sme
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “são”; for a verb, it's “sme”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “são” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable