Which to use
“tem” is a verb and “tua” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33
- “tem” frequency rank
- #662
- “tua” frequency rank
- 695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tem | tua |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ter | que tem você como objeto |
Letter map: tem vs tua
Shared letters muted; letters that set tem and tua apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: tem vs tua
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tem is averb and tuaanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tem is recorded at frequency rank #33, classified as averb. 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 695, this pair ranks #74,957 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tem vs tua
Shared letters: t. Private to "tem": em. Private to "tua": au.
"tem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tua" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tem" and "tua" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tem" or "tua" show up more?
What to do next
You've compared "tem" and "tua". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "tem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tua" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,957 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tem" and "tua" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tua vs tufo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,957 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.