Which to use
“uma” is an article and “usa” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13
- “uma” frequency rank
- #1,103
- “usa” frequency rank
- 1116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uma | usa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feminino de um | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo usar |
Where the eye mixes uma and usa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between uma and usa
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uma is /ˈu.mɐ/ while usa is /ˈu.zə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “uma” becomes s in “usa”, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1116, 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/. usa is at rank #1,103, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈu.zə/.
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 1116, this pair ranks #74,502 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uma vs usa
Shared letters: au. Private to "uma": m. Private to "usa": s.
"uma" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "usa" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "uma" for "usa" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "uma" or "usa" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "uma" and "usa" 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 "usa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,502 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uma" and "usa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ú vs usa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,502 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.