Which to use
“ter” is a verb and “três” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #60
- “ter” frequency rank
- #167
- “três” frequency rank
- 227
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ter | três |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | acompanhado de verbo no particípio regular, indica ação passada | número equivalente a dois mais um; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha dois elementos e outro elemento distinto; representado pelo símbolo 3 (algarismos arábicos) ou III (algarismos romanos) |
Where the eye mixes ter and três
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ter with três
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ter is /ˈteɹ/ while três is /ˈtɾeʃ/. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 227, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ter is recorded at frequency rank #60, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈteɹ/. três is at rank #167, tagged as anum, pronounced /ˈtɾeʃ/.
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 227, this pair ranks #75,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ter vs três
Shared letters: rt. Private to "ter": e. Private to "três": sê.
"ter" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "três" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ter" for "três" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ter" or "três"?
What to do next
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 "três" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ter" and "três" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trema vs três". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,407 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.