Which to use
“bad” and “bar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,699
- “bad” frequency rank
- #2,081
- “bar” frequency rank
- 6780
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bad | bar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | banho | dependência de hotel, de restaurante, de estabelecimento onde se vendem bebidas normalmente com um balcão; sala ou botequim com tal balcão |
Where the eye mixes bad and bar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bad with bar
A purely visual mix-up. bad (/bɑt/) and bar (/ˈbaɾ/) 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 a single letter - d in “bad” becomes r in “bar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6780, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bad is recorded at frequency rank #4,699, classified as anoun, pronounced /bɑt/. bar is at rank #2,081, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbaɾ/.
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 6780, this pair ranks #67,554 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bad vs bar
Shared letters: ab. Private to "bad": d. Private to "bar": r.
"bad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "bar" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bad" and "bar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bad" or "bar"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,554 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bad" and "bar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bad vs bué". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #67,554 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.