Which to use
“uma” is an article and “uno” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13
- “uma” frequency rank
- #11,761
- “uno” frequency rank
- 11774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uma | uno |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feminino de um | único |
Where the eye mixes uma and uno
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses uma with uno
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uma is /ˈu.mɐ/ while uno is /ˈunu/. 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 (article vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11774, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
uma is recorded at frequency rank #13, classified as anarticle, pronounced /ˈu.mɐ/. uno is at rank #11,761, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈunu/.
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 11774, this pair ranks #61,003 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uma vs uno
Shared letters: u. Private to "uma": am. Private to "uno": no.
"uma" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "uno" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "uma" for "uno" ever safe?
Which is more common, "uma" or "uno"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "uma" and "uno" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "uma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "uno" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,003 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uma" and "uno" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ú vs uno". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,003 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.