tãovstuaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tão is a adverb, tua is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tão” is an adverb and “tua” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#119
“tão” frequency rank
#662
“tua” frequency rank
781
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tão tua
Definition tanto, com tal intensidade que tem você como objeto

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tão and tua apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
tão
3 ch
tua

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tão is anadverb and tuaanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tão is recorded at frequency rank #119, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈtɐ̃w̃/. tua is at rank #662, tagged as anadj.

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 781, this pair ranks #74,874 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tão vs tua

Shared letters: t. Private to "tão": . Private to "tua": au.

"tão" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "tua" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

tão#119
tua#662

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tão" and "tua" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tão" is an adverb and "tua" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tão" or "tua"?
"tão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #119 in our Portuguese list, against #662 for "tua". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tão vs tua

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “tão”; for an adjective, it's “tua”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tão” 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