Which to use
“bai” is a preposition and “baús” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,371
- “bai” frequency rank
- #47,199
- “baús” frequency rank
- 74570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bai | baús |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | de acordo com; conforme | plural de baú |
Where the eye mixes bai and baús
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. bai runs 3 letters (CVV) against baús's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses bai with baús
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bai is /ba.ˈi/ while baús is /bɐ.ˈu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bai is recorded at frequency rank #27,371, classified as aprep, pronounced /ba.ˈi/. baús is at rank #47,199, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɐ.ˈu/.
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 74570, this pair ranks #2,495 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bai vs baús
Shared letters: ab. Private to "bai": i. Private to "baús": sú.
"bai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "baús" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bai" and "baús" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "bai" or "baús" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "baús" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,495 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bai" and "baús" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "baús vs bué". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,495 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.