Which to use
“uno” is an adjective and “usa” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,761
- “uno” frequency rank
- #1,103
- “usa” frequency rank
- 12864
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uno | usa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | único | terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo usar |
Where the eye mixes uno and usa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses uno with usa
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uno is /ˈunu/ while usa is /ˈu.zə/. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12864, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
uno is recorded at frequency rank #11,761, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈunu/. 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 12864, this pair ranks #59,607 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uno vs usa
Shared letters: u. Private to "uno": no. Private to "usa": as.
"uno" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "usa" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "uno" and "usa" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "uno" or "usa"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "uno" and "usa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "uno" 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 #59,607 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uno" and "usa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ú vs uno". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #59,607 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.