Which to use
“ao” is a contraction and “após” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27
- “ao” frequency rank
- #187
- “após” frequency rank
- 214
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ao | após |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contração da preposição a com o artigo definido o | em seguimento |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ao and após apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: ao is /aw/ while após is /ɐ.ˈpɔʃ/. 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 (contraction vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ao is recorded at frequency rank #27, classified as acontraction, pronounced /aw/. após is at rank #187, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ɐ.ˈpɔʃ/.
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 214, this pair ranks #75,420 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ao vs após
Shared letters: a. Private to "ao": o. Private to "após": psó.
"ao" · 2 letters · shape VV · "após" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ao" and "após" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ao" or "após"?
Remembering ao vs após
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “ao”; for an adverb, it's “após”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ao” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable