bailarvsbalãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bailar is a verb, balão is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#49,314
“bailar” frequency rank
#7,601
“balão” frequency rank
56915
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailar balão
Definition executar dançando recipiente de forma oval que, cheio de um fluido mais leve que o ar, flutua sem auxílio de um sistema de propulsão

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bailar and balão apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
bailar
5 ch
balão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: bailar is averb and balãoanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56915, 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/. balão is at rank #7,601, tagged as anoun.

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 56915, this pair ranks #9,653 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bailar vs balão

Shared letters: abl. Private to "bailar": ir. Private to "balão": .

"bailar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "balão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailarabilar · baialr · bailarr · baillar · bailra · baliar · bbailar · bialar

Frequency comparison

bailar#49,314
balão#7,601

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bailar" and "balão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bailar" is a verb and "balão" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bailar" or "balão"?
"balão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,601 in our Portuguese list, against #49,314 for "bailar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bailar vs balão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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