Which to use
“espelho” and “espinho” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,393
- “espelho” frequency rank
- #16,755
- “espinho” frequency rank
- 20148
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espelho | espinho |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | superfície polida ou muito lisa com capacidade para refletir a luz | parte aguda e picante de um vegetal |
Where the eye mixes espelho and espinho
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. espelho and espinho follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: espelho vs espinho
A purely visual mix-up. espelho (/iʃ.ˈpɐj.ʎu/) and espinho (/iʃ.ˈpi.ɲu/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20148, 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/. espinho is at rank #16,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɲu/.
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 20148, this pair ranks #50,443 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espelho vs espinho
Shared letters: ehops. Private to "espelho": l. Private to "espinho": in.
"espelho" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "espinho" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "espelho" and "espinho" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "espelho" vs "espinho" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "espelho" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espinho" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #50,443 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espelho" and "espinho" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espinal vs espinho". 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 #50,443 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.