Which to use
“teu” is a pronoun and “tu” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #592
- “teu” frequency rank
- #243
- “tu” frequency rank
- 835
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | teu | tu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | de posse da segunda pessoa do singular (tu) | expressa sonoridade produzido por telefone indicativo de que o aparelho telefonado foi posto no gancho ou que a linha caiu |
Where the eye mixes teu and tu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses teu with tu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: teu is /ˈtew/ while tu is /ˈtu/. 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 (pronoun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
teu is recorded at frequency rank #592, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈtew/. tu is at rank #243, tagged as anintj, pronounced /ˈtu/.
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 835, this pair ranks #74,799 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of teu vs tu
Shared letters: tu. Private to "teu": e. Private to "tu": -.
"teu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "tu" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "teu" and "tu" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "teu" or "tu" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "teu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,799 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "teu" and "tu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tu vs tufo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,799 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.