Which to use
“tem” and “ter” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33
- “tem” frequency rank
- #60
- “ter” frequency rank
- 93
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tem | ter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ter | acompanhado de verbo no particípio regular, indica ação passada |
Letter map: tem vs ter
Shared letters muted; letters that set tem and ter apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Pair insight - tem / ter
tem and ter are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - m in “tem” becomes r in “ter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 93, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tem is recorded at frequency rank #33, classified as averb. ter is at rank #60, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈteɹ/.
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 93, this pair ranks #75,559 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tem vs ter
Shared letters: et. Private to "tem": m. Private to "ter": r.
"tem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ter" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tem" for "ter" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tem" or "ter" show up more?
What to do next
Pair "tem" vs "ter" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "tem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,559 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tem" and "ter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tem vs trema". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,559 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.