Which to use
“ci” is a pronoun and “cru” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,655
- “ci” frequency rank
- #14,555
- “cru” frequency rank
- 34210
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ci | cru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tu, pronome pessoal sujeito da segunda pessoa do singular: | que não foi cozido ou não foi cozido o suficiente |
Where the eye mixes ci and cru
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ci with cru
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ci is /tsi/ while cru is /ˈkɾu/. 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 (pronoun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34210, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ci is recorded at frequency rank #19,655, classified as apron, pronounced /tsi/. cru is at rank #14,555, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɾu/.
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 34210, this pair ranks #33,116 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ci vs cru
Shared letters: c. Private to "ci": i. Private to "cru": ru.
"ci" · 2 letters · shape CV · "cru" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ci" and "cru" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ci" vs "cru" - which ranks higher?
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 "ci" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cru" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,116 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ci" and "cru" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ci vs ciao". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #33,116 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.