balvsbaúsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,689
“bal” frequency rank
#47,199
“baús” frequency rank
93888
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bal baús
Definition bola plural de baú

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bal and baús apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
bal
4 ch
baús

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bal (/bɑl/) and baús (/bɐ.ˈu/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 93888, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bal is recorded at frequency rank #46,689, classified as anoun, pronounced /bɑl/. baús is at rank #47,199, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɐ.ˈu/.

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 93888, this pair ranks #111 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bal vs baús

Shared letters: ab. Private to "bal": l. Private to "baús": .

"bal" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "baús" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Frequency comparison

bal#46,689
baús#47,199

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bal" and "baús" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/bɑl/ versus /bɐ.ˈu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bal" or "baús"?
"bal" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #46,689 in our Portuguese list, against #47,199 for "baús". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bal vs baús

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 “bal” 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