únicovsunoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“único” and “uno” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#515
“único” frequency rank
#11,761
“uno” frequency rank
12276
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature único uno
Definition singular único

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set único and uno apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
único
3 ch
uno

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. único (/ˈu.ni.ku/) and uno (/ˈunu/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12276, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

único is recorded at frequency rank #515, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈu.ni.ku/. 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 12276, this pair ranks #60,372 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of único vs uno

Shared letters: no. Private to "único": ciú. Private to "uno": u.

"único" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "uno" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

único#515
uno#11,761

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "único" and "uno" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈu.ni.ku/ versus /ˈunu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "único" or "uno"?
"único" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #515 in our Portuguese list, against #11,761 for "uno". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering único vs uno

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “único” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list