tocamvstomWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tocam is a verb, tom is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tocam” is a verb and “tom” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,154
“tocam” frequency rank
#1,262
“tom” frequency rank
13416
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tocam tom
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do presente do indicativo do verbo tocar qualquer som, no que se refere à sua amplitude, fonte, potência, etc.:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tocam and tom apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tocam
3 ch
tom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

tocam and tom form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13416, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tocam is recorded at frequency rank #12,154, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈtɔ.kɐ̃w̃/ [ˈtɔ.kɐ̃ʊ̯̃]. tom is at rank #1,262, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtõ/.

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 13416, this pair ranks #58,940 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

tocam#12,154
tom#1,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tocam" and "tom" be used interchangeably?
No, "tocam" and "tom" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering tocam vs tom

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tocam”; for a noun, it's “tom”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tocam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list