Which to use
“baba” and “bak” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,888
- “baba” frequency rank
- #38,589
- “bak” frequency rank
- 52477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | baba | bak |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | saliva ou mucosidade que escorre da boca | retaguarda, parte traseira |
Where the eye mixes baba and bak
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: baba vs bak
A purely visual mix-up. baba (/ˈba.bɐ/) and bak (/ˈbaːk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
baba is recorded at frequency rank #13,888, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈba.bɐ/. bak is at rank #38,589, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbaːk/.
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 52477, this pair ranks #12,728 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of baba vs bak
Shared letters: ab. Private to "baba": -. Private to "bak": k.
"baba" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "bak" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- baba ← abba · baab · babba · bbaa · bbaba
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "baba" for "bak" ever safe?
Which is more common, "baba" or "bak"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "baba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bak" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #12,728 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "baba" and "bak" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bak vs bué". 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 #12,728 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.