Which to use
“ago” is an adverb and “amigo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,434
- “ago” frequency rank
- #384
- “amigo” frequency rank
- 9818
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ago | amigo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | há, atrás – adj | que tem ligação com outrem por amizade |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ago and amigo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ago is /əˈɡəʊ/ while amigo is /aˈmi.ɡu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ago is recorded at frequency rank #9,434, classified as anadv, pronounced /əˈɡəʊ/. amigo is at rank #384, tagged as anadj, pronounced /aˈmi.ɡu/.
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 9818, this pair ranks #63,489 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ago vs amigo
Shared letters: ago. Private to "ago": -. Private to "amigo": im.
"ago" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "amigo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- amigo ← aimgo · amgio · amiggo · amiog · ammigo · maigo
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ago" and "amigo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ago" or "amigo"?
Remembering ago vs amigo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “ago”; for an adjective, it's “amigo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ago” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable