Which to use
“ter” is a verb and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #60
- “ter” frequency rank
- #18,204
- “then” frequency rank
- 18264
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ter | then |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | acompanhado de verbo no particípio regular, indica ação passada | então, aí. daí |
Where the eye mixes ter and then
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ter with then
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ter is /ˈteɹ/ while then is /ˈðɛn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ter is recorded at frequency rank #60, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈteɹ/. then is at rank #18,204, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈðɛn/.
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 18264, this pair ranks #52,775 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ter vs then
Shared letters: et. Private to "ter": r. Private to "then": hn.
"ter" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- then ← hten · tehn · thenn · thhen · thne · tthen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ter" and "then" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "ter" or "then" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "then" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #52,775 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ter" and "then" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "then vs thorn". 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 #52,775 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.