bailarvsbaixarWhat's the difference?

By · Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org ·

Which to use

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

#49,314
“bailar” frequency rank
#2,663
“baixar” frequency rank
51977
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailar baixar
Definition executar dançando pôr baixo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bailar and baixar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
bailar
6 ch
baixar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bailar (/baj.ˈlaɾ/) and baixar (/baj.ˈʃaɾ/) 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 - l in “bailar” becomes x in “baixar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51977, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bailar is recorded at frequency rank #49,314, classified as averb, pronounced /baj.ˈlaɾ/. 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 51977, this pair ranks #13,142 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bailar vs baixar

Shared letters: abir. Private to "bailar": l. Private to "baixar": x.

"bailar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "baixar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailar ← abilar · baialr · bailarr · baillar · bailra · baliar · bbailar · bialar
  • baixar ← abixar · baiaxr · baixarr · baixra · baixxar · baxiar · bbaixar · biaxar

Frequency comparison

bailar#49,314
baixar#2,663

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bailar" and "baixar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/baj.ˈlaɾ/ versus /baj.ˈʃaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bailar" or "baixar"?
"baixar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,663 in our Portuguese list, against #49,314 for "bailar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering bailar vs baixar

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 “bailar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list