Which to use
“clérigo” and “clero” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,532
- “clérigo” frequency rank
- #16,470
- “clero” frequency rank
- 35002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clérigo | clero |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | membro integrante do clero | classe ou ordem religiosa |
Where the eye mixes clérigo and clero
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. clérigo runs 7 letters (CCVCVCV) against clero's 5 (CCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between clérigo and clero
A purely visual mix-up. clérigo (/ˈklɛ.ɾi.ɡu/) and clero (/ˈklɛ.ɾu/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clérigo is recorded at frequency rank #18,532, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɛ.ɾi.ɡu/. clero is at rank #16,470, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɛ.ɾu/.
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 35002, this pair ranks #32,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clérigo vs clero
Shared letters: clor. Private to "clérigo": gié. Private to "clero": e.
"clérigo" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "clero" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- clero ← cclero · celro · cleor · clerro · cllero · clreo · lcero
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clérigo" for "clero" ever safe?
Frequency check: "clérigo" vs "clero" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "clérigo" and "clero" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "clérigo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clero" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #32,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clérigo" and "clero" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clero vs cobro". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #32,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.