Which to use
“baú” and “boy” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,895
- “baú” frequency rank
- #3,884
- “boy” frequency rank
- 17779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | baú | boy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | caixa retangular com tampa convexa e geralmente revestida de couro cru | garoto, rapaz, jovem |
Where the eye mixes baú and boy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between baú and boy
A purely visual mix-up. baú (/ba.ˈu/) and boy (/bɔɪ/) 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 17779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
baú is recorded at frequency rank #13,895, classified as anoun, pronounced /ba.ˈu/. boy is at rank #3,884, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɔɪ/.
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 17779, this pair ranks #53,378 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of baú vs boy
Shared letters: b. Private to "baú": aú. Private to "boy": oy.
"baú" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "boy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "baú" for "boy" ever safe?
Frequency check: "baú" vs "boy" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "baú" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "boy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,378 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "baú" and "boy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "baú vs bué". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #53,378 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.