baila vs baixar, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“baila” is a noun and “baixar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,025
“baila” frequency rank: #2,663
“baixar” frequency rank: 37688
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	baila	baixar
Definition	baile	pôr baixo

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

baila

6 ch

baixar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: baila is /ˈbaj.lɐ/ while baixar is /baj.ˈʃaɾ/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37688, 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/. baixar is at rank #2,663, tagged as averb, pronounced /baj.ˈʃaɾ/.

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 37688, this pair ranks #28,883 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of baila vs baixar

Shared letters: abi. Private to "baila": l. Private to "baixar": rx.

"baila" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "baixar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

baila ← abila · baial · bailla · balia · bbaila · biala
baixar ← abixar · baiaxr · baixarr · baixra · baixxar · baxiar · bbaixar · biaxar

Frequency comparison

baila#35,025

baixar#2,663

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "baila" and "baixar" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "baila" is a noun and "baixar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "baila" or "baixar"?

"baixar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,663 in our Portuguese list, against #35,025 for "baila". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering baila vs baixar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “baila”; for a verb, it's “baixar”.
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