Which to use
“tenaz” is an adjective and “tênis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,239
- “tenaz” frequency rank
- #3,294
- “tênis” frequency rank
- 45533
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenaz | tênis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | muito aderente | desporto individual (ou de duplas) no qual os jogadores enviam um ao outro uma pequena bola, com ajuda de raquetes por sobre uma rede que divide a quadra de jogo |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tenaz and tênis apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenaz is /tɨ.ˈnaʃ/ while tênis is /ˈte.nis/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenaz is recorded at frequency rank #42,239, classified as anadj, pronounced /tɨ.ˈnaʃ/. tênis is at rank #3,294, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈte.nis/.
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 45533, this pair ranks #19,851 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tenaz vs tênis
Shared letters: nt. Private to "tenaz": aez. Private to "tênis": isê.
"tenaz" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tênis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tenaz ← etnaz · teanz · tenazz · tennaz · tenza · tneaz · ttenaz
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tenaz" and "tênis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tenaz" or "tênis"?
Remembering tenaz vs tênis
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “tenaz”; for a noun, it's “tênis”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tenaz” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable