Which to use
“tens” is a verb and “tous” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,447
- “tens” frequency rank
- #43,687
- “tous” frequency rank
- 46134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tens | tous |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | segunda pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ter | todos, todo mundo. |
Letter map: tens vs tous
Shared letters muted; letters that set tens and tous apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: tens vs tous
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tens is averb and tousapronoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tens is recorded at frequency rank #2,447, classified as averb. tous is at rank #43,687, tagged as apron, pronounced /tu/ (diante de consoante), AFI: /tuz/ (diante de vogal e h mudo).
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 46134, this pair ranks #19,217 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tens vs tous
Shared letters: st. Private to "tens": en. Private to "tous": ou.
"tens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "tous" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tens" for "tous" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tens" vs "tous" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "tens" and "tous".
- Full dictionary entry for "tens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tous" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,217 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tens" and "tous" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tosa vs tous". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #19,217 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.