Which to use
“são” is an adjective and “sob” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34
- “são” frequency rank
- #320
- “sob” frequency rank
- 354
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | são | sob |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | saudável | abaixo, em baixo |
Where the eye mixes são and sob
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses são with sob
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: são is /ˈsɐ̃w̃/ while sob is /ˈsob/. 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 (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 354, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
são is recorded at frequency rank #34, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈsɐ̃w̃/. sob is at rank #320, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ˈsob/.
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 354, this pair ranks #75,280 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of são vs sob
Shared letters: os. Private to "são": ã. Private to "sob": b.
"são" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "sob" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "são" and "sob" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "são" or "sob"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "são" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sob" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,280 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "são" and "sob" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "soap vs sob". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,280 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.