Which to use
“espelho” and “espeto” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,393
- “espelho” frequency rank
- #31,356
- “espeto” frequency rank
- 34749
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espelho | espeto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | superfície polida ou muito lisa com capacidade para refletir a luz | haste de ferro ou pau pontiagudo para assar carne ou peixe |
Where the eye mixes espelho and espeto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. espelho runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against espeto's 6 (VCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses espelho with espeto
A purely visual mix-up. espelho (/iʃ.ˈpɐj.ʎu/) and espeto (/iʃ.ˈpe.tu/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espelho is recorded at frequency rank #3,393, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpɐj.ʎu/. espeto is at rank #31,356, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpe.tu/.
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 34749, this pair ranks #32,444 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espelho vs espeto
Shared letters: eops. Private to "espelho": hl. Private to "espeto": t.
"espelho" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "espeto" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "espelho" and "espeto" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "espelho" vs "espeto" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "espelho" and "espeto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "espelho" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espeto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #32,444 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espelho" and "espeto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espetar vs espeto". 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 #32,444 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.