Which to use
“cru” is an adjective and “cruz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,555
- “cru” frequency rank
- #1,606
- “cruz” frequency rank
- 16161
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cru | cruz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que não foi cozido ou não foi cozido o suficiente | símbolo formado por dois planos, normalmente linhas, um orientado horizontalmente e outro na vertical, cruzando-se e formando um ângulo de 90 graus; a linha é, por vezes, maior para baixo do cruzamento |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cru and cruz apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters 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: cru is /ˈkɾu/ while cruz is /ˈkɾuʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “cru” sits inside “cruz”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cru is recorded at frequency rank #14,555, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɾu/. cruz is at rank #1,606, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɾuʃ/.
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 16161, this pair ranks #55,447 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cru vs cruz
Shared letters: cru. Private to "cru": -. Private to "cruz": z.
"cru" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "cruz" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- cruz ← ccruz · crruz · cruzz · crzu · curz · rcuz
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cru" and "cruz" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cru" or "cruz"?
Remembering cru vs cruz
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cru”; for a noun, it's “cruz”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cru” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable