Which to use
“bacalhau” is an adjective and “batalhar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,227
- “bacalhau” frequency rank
- #30,014
- “batalhar” frequency rank
- 46241
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bacalhau | batalhar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | diz-se do torcedor do Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama | dar batalha |
Where the eye mixes bacalhau and batalhar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. bacalhau (CVCVCCVV) and batalhar (CVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: bacalhau vs batalhar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bacalhau is /ba.kaˈʎaw/ [ba.kaˈʎaʊ̯] while batalhar is /bɐ.tɐ.ˈʎaɾ/. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bacalhau is recorded at frequency rank #16,227, classified as anadj, pronounced /ba.kaˈʎaw/ [ba.kaˈʎaʊ̯]. batalhar is at rank #30,014, tagged as averb, pronounced /bɐ.tɐ.ˈʎaɾ/.
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 46241, this pair ranks #19,106 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bacalhau vs batalhar
Shared letters: abhl. Private to "bacalhau": cu. Private to "batalhar": rt.
"bacalhau" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV · "batalhar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bacalhau" for "batalhar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "bacalhau" vs "batalhar" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bacalhau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "batalhar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,106 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bacalhau" and "batalhar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "batalha vs batalhar". 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 #19,106 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.