bailarvsbilharWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#49,314
“bailar” frequency rank
#23,581
“bilhar” frequency rank
72895
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailar bilhar
Definition executar dançando jogo que se pratica impulsionando com um taco bolas, de marfim ou material semelhante, sobre uma mesa retangular normalmente forrada de pano geralmente verde

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
bailar
6 ch
bilhar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

bailar and bilhar form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72895, 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/. bilhar is at rank #23,581, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bi.ˈʎaɾ/.

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 72895, this pair ranks #2,916 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

bailar#49,314
bilhar#23,581

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bailar" and "bilhar" be used interchangeably?
No, "bailar" and "bilhar" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering bailar vs bilhar

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 “bilhar”.
  • 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