Which to use
“uma” is an article and “us” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13
- “uma” frequency rank
- #999
- “us” frequency rank
- 1012
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uma | us |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feminino de um | nos |
Where the eye mixes uma and us
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses uma with us
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uma is /ˈu.mɐ/ while us is /ʌs/. 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 (article vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1012, 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/. us is at rank #999, tagged as apron, pronounced /ʌs/.
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 1012, this pair ranks #74,621 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uma vs us
Shared letters: u. Private to "uma": am. Private to "us": s.
"uma" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "us" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "uma" for "us" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "uma" or "us" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "uma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "us" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,621 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uma" and "us" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ú vs us". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,621 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.