Which to use
“som” and “sup” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,134
- “som” frequency rank
- #25,150
- “sup” frequency rank
- 26284
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | som | sup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | onda longitudinal transmitida pela matéria e que podemos ouvir (geralmente entre 20Hz e 20kHz): | abutre |
Where the eye mixes som and sup
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between som and sup
A purely visual mix-up. som (/ˈsõ/) and sup (/sʊp/) 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 26284, 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/. sup is at rank #25,150, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sʊp/.
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 26284, this pair ranks #42,901 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of som vs sup
Shared letters: s. Private to "som": mo. Private to "sup": pu.
"som" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sup" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "som" and "sup" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "som" or "sup" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "som" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,901 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "som" and "sup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "soap vs sup". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #42,901 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.