Which to use
“sem” and “sob” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #69
- “sem” frequency rank
- #320
- “sob” frequency rank
- 389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sem | sob |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | indicativa de carência ou ausência | abaixo, em baixo |
Where the eye mixes sem and sob
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sem vs sob
A purely visual mix-up. sem (/sɐ̃j̃/) and sob (/ˈsob/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sem is recorded at frequency rank #69, classified as aprep, pronounced /sɐ̃j̃/. 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 389, this pair ranks #75,247 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sem vs sob
Shared letters: s. Private to "sem": em. Private to "sob": bo.
"sem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sob" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sem" and "sob" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sem" vs "sob" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sem" 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 #75,247 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sem" and "sob" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "soap vs sob". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,247 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.