cadêvscãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: cadê is a pronoun, cão is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“cadê” is a pronoun and “cão” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,377
“cadê” frequency rank
#3,065
“cão” frequency rank
6442
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cadê cão
Definition expressão interrogativa usada para perguntar onde algo ou alguém está cruel, brutal, dominador

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
cadê
3 ch
cão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cadê is apronoun and cãoanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cadê is recorded at frequency rank #3,377, classified as apron. cão is at rank #3,065, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɐ̃ũ̯/.

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 6442, this pair ranks #67,992 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of cadê vs cão

Shared letters: c. Private to "cadê": adê. Private to "cão": .

"cadê" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "cão" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

cadê#3,377
cão#3,065

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cadê" and "cão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "cadê" is a pronoun and "cão" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "cadê" or "cão"?
"cão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,065 in our Portuguese list, against #3,377 for "cadê". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cadê vs cão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “cadê”; for an adjective, it's “cão”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cadê” 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