Which to use
“tom” and “tool” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,262
- “tom” frequency rank
- #29,542
- “tool” frequency rank
- 30804
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tom | tool |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | qualquer som, no que se refere à sua amplitude, fonte, potência, etc.: | ferramenta |
Where the eye mixes tom and tool
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tom with tool
A purely visual mix-up. tom (/ˈtõ/) and tool (/tu:l/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30804, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tom is recorded at frequency rank #1,262, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtõ/. tool is at rank #29,542, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tu:l/.
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 30804, this pair ranks #37,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tom vs tool
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tom": m. Private to "tool": l.
"tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tool" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tool ← otol · tol · tooll · ttool
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tom" for "tool" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tom" or "tool"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tool" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #37,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tom" and "tool" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tool vs tosa". 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 #37,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.