Which to use
“alô” is an adverb and “ao” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,874
- “alô” frequency rank
- #27
- “ao” frequency rank
- 4901
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alô | ao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lá, alá, podendo indicar um lugar, um tempo, mais afastado que lá | contração da preposição a com o artigo definido o |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alô and ao apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: alô is anadverb and aoacontraction. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alô is recorded at frequency rank #4,874, classified as anadv. ao is at rank #27, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /aw/.
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 4901, this pair ranks #69,842 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of alô vs ao
Shared letters: a. Private to "alô": lô. Private to "ao": o.
"alô" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ao" · 2 letters · shape VV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alô" and "ao" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "alô" or "ao"?
Remembering alô vs ao
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “alô”; for a contraction, it's “ao”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alô” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable