Which to use
“cão” is an adjective and “chau” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,065
- “cão” frequency rank
- #49,350
- “chau” frequency rank
- 52415
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cão | chau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | cruel, brutal, dominador | até logo; adeus! |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cão and chau apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cão is /ˈkɐ̃ũ̯/ while chau is /ʃaʊ/. 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 intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52415, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cão is recorded at frequency rank #3,065, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɐ̃ũ̯/. chau is at rank #49,350, tagged as anintj, pronounced /ʃaʊ/.
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 52415, this pair ranks #12,776 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cão vs chau
Shared letters: c. Private to "cão": oã. Private to "chau": ahu.
"cão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "chau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- chau ← cahu · cchau · chhau · chua · hcau
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cão" and "chau" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cão" or "chau"?
Remembering cão vs chau
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cão”; for an intj, it's “chau”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cão” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable