Which to use
“fala” is a noun and “falho” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #415
- “fala” frequency rank
- #23,663
- “falho” frequency rank
- 24078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fala | falho |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | expressão através da utilização da palavra | que tem falha |
Where the eye mixes fala and falho
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fala vs falho
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fala is /ˈfa.lɐ/ while falho is /ˈfa.ʎu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fala is recorded at frequency rank #415, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfa.lɐ/. falho is at rank #23,663, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfa.ʎu/.
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 24078, this pair ranks #45,628 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fala vs falho
Shared letters: afl. Private to "fala": -. Private to "falho": ho.
"fala" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "falho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fala" and "falho" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fala" or "falho"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "falho" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,628 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fala" and "falho" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "falho vs filão". 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 #45,628 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.