Which to use
“fair” and “feio” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,248
- “fair” frequency rank
- #4,727
- “feio” frequency rank
- 16975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fair | feio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | justo | não estético, horrendo |
Where the eye mixes fair and feio
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fair with feio
A purely visual mix-up. fair (/fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) and feio (/ˈfɐj.u/) 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 16975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fair is recorded at frequency rank #12,248, classified as anadj, pronounced /fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?). feio is at rank #4,727, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɐj.u/.
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 16975, this pair ranks #54,397 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fair vs feio
Shared letters: fi. Private to "fair": ar. Private to "feio": eo.
"fair" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "feio" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fair" for "feio" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fair" vs "feio" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fair" and "feio" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fair" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "feio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #54,397 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fair" and "feio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fair vs fava". 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 #54,397 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.