Which to use
“tear” is a noun and “tem” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,581
- “tear” frequency rank
- #33
- “tem” frequency rank
- 31614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tear | tem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aparelho ou máquina de tecer | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ter |
Letter map: tear vs tem
Shared letters muted; letters that set tear and tem apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Role in the sentence - tear and tem
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tear is anoun and temaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tear is recorded at frequency rank #31,581, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtjaɾ/. tem is at rank #33, tagged as averb.
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 31614, this pair ranks #36,415 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tear vs tem
Shared letters: et. Private to "tear": ar. Private to "tem": m.
"tear" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "tem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tear ← etar · taer · tearr · ttear
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tear" and "tem" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tear" or "tem"?
After this comparison
Pair "tear" vs "tem" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "tear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,415 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tear" and "tem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tear vs teco". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #36,415 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.