bailavsbaileWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“baila” and “baile” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,025
“baila” frequency rank
#3,664
“baile” frequency rank
38689
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature baila baile
Definition baile reunião de pessoas para dançar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set baila and baile apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
baila
5 ch
baile

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. baila (/ˈbaj.lɐ/) and baile (/ˈbaj.lɨ/) 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 - a in “baila” becomes e in “baile”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

baila is recorded at frequency rank #35,025, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈbaj.lɐ/. baile is at rank #3,664, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbaj.lɨ/.

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 38689, this pair ranks #27,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of baila vs baile

Shared letters: abil. Private to "baila": -. Private to "baile": e.

"baila" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "baile" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailaabila · baial · bailla · balia · bbaila · biala
  • baileabile · baiel · baille · balie · bbaile · biale

Frequency comparison

baila#35,025
baile#3,664

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "baila" and "baile" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈbaj.lɐ/ versus /ˈbaj.lɨ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "baila" or "baile"?
"baile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,664 in our Portuguese list, against #35,025 for "baila". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering baila vs baile

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “baila” 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