algovsascoWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: algo is a adverb, asco is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“algo” is an adverb and “asco” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#222
“algo” frequency rank
#37,190
“asco” frequency rank
37412
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature algo asco
Definition um pouco, de certo modo nojo

Where the eye mixes algo and asco

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. algo and asco follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

4 ch
algo
4 ch
asco

Look-alike desk: algo vs asco

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: algo is /ˈaw.gu/ while asco is /ˈaʃ.ku/. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

algo is recorded at frequency rank #222, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈaw.gu/. asco is at rank #37,190, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaʃ.ku/.

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 37412, this pair ranks #29,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of algo vs asco

Shared letters: ao. Private to "algo": gl. Private to "asco": cs.

"algo" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "asco" · 4 letters · shape VCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • algo ← aglo · alggo · allgo · alog
  • asco ← ascco · asoc · assco

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "algo" and "asco" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "algo" is an adverb and "asco" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "algo" vs "asco" - which ranks higher?
"algo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #222 in our Portuguese list, against #37,190 for "asco". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "algo" and "asco" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "algo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "asco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #29,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "algo" and "asco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs asco". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #29,205 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list