Which to use
“zu” is an adjective and “zum” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,935
- “zu” frequency rank
- #43,231
- “zum” frequency rank
- 83166
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zu | zum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fechado | ao, à, para o, para a |
Where the eye mixes zu and zum
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. zu runs 2 letters (CV) against zum's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zu vs zum
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zu is /t͡suː/ while zum is /t͡stʊm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “zu” sits inside “zum”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zu is recorded at frequency rank #39,935, classified as anadj, pronounced /t͡suː/. zum is at rank #43,231, tagged as aprep, pronounced /t͡stʊm/.
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 83166, this pair ranks #945 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of zu vs zum
Shared letters: uz. Private to "zu": -. Private to "zum": m.
"zu" · 2 letters · shape CV · "zum" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zu" for "zum" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "zu" or "zum" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #945 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zu" and "zum" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zag vs zum". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #945 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.