Which to use
“uma” is an article and “usar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13
- “uma” frequency rank
- #359
- “usar” frequency rank
- 372
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uma | usar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feminino de um | empregar habitualmente; fazer uso de; gastar com o uso; pôr em prática; pôr em uso; servir-se de; trazer ou fazer habitualmente; ter por costume; costumar; cotiar; deteriorar; praticar; trajar; trazer; vestir |
Where the eye mixes uma and usar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: uma vs usar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uma is /ˈu.mɐ/ while usar is /u.ˈzaɾ/. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 372, 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/. usar is at rank #359, tagged as averb, pronounced /u.ˈzaɾ/.
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 372, this pair ranks #75,262 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uma vs usar
Shared letters: au. Private to "uma": m. Private to "usar": rs.
"uma" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "usar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- usar ← uasr · usarr · usra · ussar
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "uma" and "usar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "uma" or "usar"?
After this comparison
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 "usar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,262 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uma" and "usar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unser vs usar". 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 #75,262 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.