Which to use
“tem” is a verb and “tio” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33
- “tem” frequency rank
- #2,211
- “tio” frequency rank
- 2244
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tem | tio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ter | irmão da mãe ou do pai |
Letter map: tem vs tio
Shared letters muted; letters that set tem and tio apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: tem vs tio
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tem is averb and tioanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tem is recorded at frequency rank #33, classified as averb. tio is at rank #2,211, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ti.u/ [t͡ʃiu̯], [tiu̯].
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 2244, this pair ranks #73,208 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tem vs tio
Shared letters: t. Private to "tem": em. Private to "tio": io.
"tem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tio" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tem" for "tio" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tem" or "tio" show up more?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "tem" and "tio".
- Full dictionary entry for "tem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,208 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tem" and "tio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tio vs tufo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #73,208 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.