bailarvsbanharWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,314
“bailar” frequency rank
#26,977
“banhar” frequency rank
76291
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailar banhar
Definition executar dançando mergulhar em líquido, cobrir de líquido

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
bailar
6 ch
banhar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bailar (/baj.ˈlaɾ/) and banhar (/bɐ.ˈɲaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76291, 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/. banhar is at rank #26,977, tagged as averb, pronounced /bɐ.ˈɲaɾ/.

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 76291, this pair ranks #2,118 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bailar vs banhar

Shared letters: abr. Private to "bailar": il. Private to "banhar": hn.

"bailar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "banhar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailarabilar · baialr · bailarr · baillar · bailra · baliar · bbailar · bialar
  • banharabnhar · bahnar · banahr · banharr · banhhar · banhra · bannhar · bbanhar

Frequency comparison

bailar#49,314
banhar#26,977

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bailar" and "banhar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/baj.ˈlaɾ/ versus /bɐ.ˈɲaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bailar" or "banhar"?
"banhar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,977 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 banhar

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