Which to use
“som” is a noun and “sou” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,134
- “som” frequency rank
- #106
- “sou” frequency rank
- 1240
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | som | sou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz): | primeira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ser |
Where the eye mixes som and sou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: som vs sou
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: som is /ˈsõ/ while sou is /ˈsow/, /ˈso/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “som” becomes u in “sou”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
som is recorded at frequency rank #1,134, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsõ/. sou is at rank #106, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈsow/, /ˈso/.
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 1240, this pair ranks #74,355 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of som vs sou
Shared letters: os. Private to "som": m. Private to "sou": u.
"som" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "som" and "sou" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "som" or "sou" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "som" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,355 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "som" and "sou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "soap vs som". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,355 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.