Which to use
“tear” is a noun and “than” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,581
- “tear” frequency rank
- #13,187
- “than” frequency rank
- 44768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tear | than |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aparelho ou máquina de tecer | que (usado em comparações) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tear and than apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tear is anoun and thanaconjunction. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44768, 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/. than is at rank #13,187, tagged as aconj.
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 44768, this pair ranks #20,667 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tear vs than
Shared letters: at. Private to "tear": er. Private to "than": hn.
"tear" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "than" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tear" and "than" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tear" or "than"?
Remembering tear vs than
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “tear”; for a conjunction, it's “than”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tear” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable