tampovstomboWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“tampo” and “tombo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#45,618
“tampo” frequency rank
#19,867
“tombo” frequency rank
65485
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tampo tombo
Definition o mesmo que tampa; objeto que serve para tampar, vedar, tapar, etc ato ou efeito de tombar; queda

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tampo and tombo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tampo
5 ch
tombo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tampo (/ˈtɐ̃.pu/) and tombo (/ˈtõ.bu/) 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 65485, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tampo is recorded at frequency rank #45,618, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɐ̃.pu/. tombo is at rank #19,867, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtõ.bu/.

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 65485, this pair ranks #5,357 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tampo vs tombo

Shared letters: mot. Private to "tampo": ap. Private to "tombo": b.

"tampo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "tombo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tampoatmpo · tammpo · tamop · tamppo · tapmo · tmapo · ttampo
  • tombootmbo · tmobo · tobmo · tombbo · tommbo · tomob · ttombo

Frequency comparison

tampo#45,618
tombo#19,867

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tampo" and "tombo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈtɐ̃.pu/ versus /ˈtõ.bu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tampo" or "tombo"?
"tombo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,867 in our Portuguese list, against #45,618 for "tampo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tampo vs tombo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tampo” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list