Which to use
“chu” is a verb and “clã” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,559
- “chu” frequency rank
- #8,588
- “clã” frequency rank
- 33147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chu | clã |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | particípio passado do verbo choir | grupo de famílias que se consideram descendentes dos mesmos ancestrais |
Where the eye mixes chu and clã
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses chu with clã
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chu is /ʃy/, /ʃːy/ while clã is /ˈklɐ̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chu is recorded at frequency rank #24,559, classified as averb, pronounced /ʃy/, /ʃːy/. clã is at rank #8,588, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɐ̃/.
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 33147, this pair ranks #34,449 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chu vs clã
Shared letters: c. Private to "chu": hu. Private to "clã": lã.
"chu" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "clã" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chu" and "clã" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "chu" or "clã" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clã" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,449 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chu" and "clã" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chau vs chu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #34,449 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.