barvsbokWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,081
“bar” frequency rank
#41,372
“bok” frequency rank
43453
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bar bok
Definition dependência de hotel, de restaurante, de estabelecimento onde se vendem bebidas normalmente com um balcão; sala ou botequim com tal balcão bode

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bar and bok apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
bar
3 ch
bok

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bar (/ˈbaɾ/) and bok (/bɔk/) 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 43453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bar is recorded at frequency rank #2,081, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈbaɾ/. bok is at rank #41,372, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɔk/.

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 43453, this pair ranks #22,189 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bar vs bok

Shared letters: b. Private to "bar": ar. Private to "bok": ko.

"bar" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "bok" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

bar#2,081
bok#41,372

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bar" and "bok" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈbaɾ/ versus /bɔk/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bar" or "bok"?
"bar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,081 in our Portuguese list, against #41,372 for "bok". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering bar vs bok

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 “bar” 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