baixar vs beijar, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,663
“baixar” frequency rank: #5,602
“beijar” frequency rank: 8265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	baixar	beijar
Definition	pôr baixo	oscular; dar beijo (ósculo)

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

baixar

6 ch

beijar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. baixar (/baj.ˈʃaɾ/) and beijar (/bei̯.ˈʒaʁ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɾ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɹ/) 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 8265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

baixar is recorded at frequency rank #2,663, classified as averb, pronounced /baj.ˈʃaɾ/. beijar is at rank #5,602, tagged as averb, pronounced /bei̯.ˈʒaʁ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɾ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɹ/.

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 8265, this pair ranks #65,574 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of baixar vs beijar

Shared letters: abir. Private to "baixar": x. Private to "beijar": ej.

"baixar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "beijar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

baixar ← abixar · baiaxr · baixarr · baixra · baixxar · baxiar · bbaixar · biaxar
beijar ← bbeijar · beiajr · beijarr · beijjar · beijra · bejiar · biejar · ebijar

Frequency comparison

baixar#2,663

beijar#5,602

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. They are said differently (/baj.ˈʃaɾ/ versus /bei̯.ˈʒaʁ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɾ/, /bei̯.ˈʒaɹ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

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

"baixar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,663 in our Portuguese list, against #5,602 for "beijar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering baixar vs beijar

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 “baixar” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable