Which to use
“básico” is an adjective and “bastião” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,747
- “básico” frequency rank
- #44,231
- “bastião” frequency rank
- 47978
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | básico | bastião |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que serve de base | parte de uma fortificação construída de modo que as muralhas formam um pentágono irregular |
Where the eye mixes básico and bastião
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. básico runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against bastião's 7 (CVCCVVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses básico with bastião
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: básico is /ˈba.zi.ku/ while bastião is /bɐʃ.ˈtjɐ̃w̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
básico is recorded at frequency rank #3,747, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈba.zi.ku/. bastião is at rank #44,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɐʃ.ˈtjɐ̃w̃/.
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 47978, this pair ranks #17,245 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of básico vs bastião
Shared letters: bios. Private to "básico": cá. Private to "bastião": atã.
"básico" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "bastião" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "básico" for "bastião" ever safe?
Which is more common, "básico" or "bastião"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "básico" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bastião" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,245 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "básico" and "bastião" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "báltico vs bastião". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #17,245 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.