io

/ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/

//ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ// adv

The verdict

“io” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #18,900 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adverb.

#18,900
frequency rank, Portuguese
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sempre

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

io vs ir
50% similar
io vs is
50% similar
io vs it
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for io
PropertyValue
Headwordio
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/
Letters2
Frequency rank#18,900
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “io” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). io lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for io is 2 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,900 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "sempre".

No generated misspelling entries exist for io in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ir", "is", "it", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is io, spelled I-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    sempre

Antonyms

nio

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "io"?
"io" is spelled I-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/.
What does "io" mean?
As an adverb, "io" means: sempre
What words are commonly confused with "io"?
"io" is commonly confused with "ir", "is", "it". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "io"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "io" is /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "io" come from?
"io" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “io”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is I-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ir” - see the side-by-side comparison. io vs ir
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list