Which to use
“tom” is a noun and “tre” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,262
- “tom” frequency rank
- #14,981
- “tre” frequency rank
- 16243
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tom | tre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | qualquer som, no que se refere à sua amplitude, fonte, potência, etc.: | três |
Where the eye mixes tom and tre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tom vs tre
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tom is /ˈtõ/ while tre is /tre/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16243, 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/. tre is at rank #14,981, tagged as anum, pronounced /tre/.
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 16243, this pair ranks #55,349 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tom vs tre
Shared letters: t. Private to "tom": mo. Private to "tre": er.
"tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tre" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tom" for "tre" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tom" or "tre"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,349 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tom" and "tre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tre vs trema". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #55,349 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.