Which to use
“bala” and “balcão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,374
- “bala” frequency rank
- #11,011
- “balcão” frequency rank
- 14385
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bala | balcão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | projétil com que se carregam armas de fogo | mostrador de estabelecimento comercial |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bala and balcão apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. bala (/ˈba.lɐ/) and balcão (/baɫ.ˈkɐ̃w̃/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14385, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bala is recorded at frequency rank #3,374, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈba.lɐ/. balcão is at rank #11,011, tagged as anoun, pronounced /baɫ.ˈkɐ̃w̃/.
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 14385, this pair ranks #57,716 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bala vs balcão
Shared letters: abl. Private to "bala": -. Private to "balcão": coã.
"bala" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "balcão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- bala ← abla · balla · bbala · blaa
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bala" and "balcão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bala" or "balcão"?
Remembering bala vs balcão
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 “bala” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable