baçovsbalcãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: baço is a adjective, balcão is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“baço” is an adjective and “balcão” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#31,254
“baço” frequency rank
#11,011
“balcão” frequency rank
42265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature baço balcão
Definition diz-se da cor sem brilho, embaciada mostrador de estabelecimento comercial

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set baço and balcão apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
baço
6 ch
balcão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: baço is /ˈba.su/ while balcão is /baɫ.ˈkɐ̃w̃/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

baço is recorded at frequency rank #31,254, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈba.su/. balcão is at rank #11,011, tagged as anoun, pronounced /baɫ.ˈkɐ̃w̃/.

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 42265, this pair ranks #23,556 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of baço vs balcão

Shared letters: abo. Private to "baço": ç. Private to "balcão": clã.

"baço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "balcão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Frequency comparison

baço#31,254
balcão#11,011

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "baço" and "balcão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "baço" is an adjective and "balcão" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "baço" or "balcão"?
"balcão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,011 in our Portuguese list, against #31,254 for "baço". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering baço vs balcão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “baço”; for a noun, it's “balcão”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “baço” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list