faxvsfloWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: fax is a noun, flo is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fax” is a noun and “flo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,370
“fax” frequency rank
#26,750
“flo” frequency rank
41120
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fax flo
Definition aparelho transmissor e receptor de documentos em fac-símile respirar.

Where the eye mixes fax and flo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
fax
3 ch
flo

Look-alike desk: fax vs flo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fax is /ˈfaks/ while flo is /floː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fax is recorded at frequency rank #14,370, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfaks/. flo is at rank #26,750, tagged as averb, pronounced /floː/.

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 41120, this pair ranks #24,870 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fax vs flo

Shared letters: f. Private to "fax": ax. Private to "flo": lo.

"fax" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "flo" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fax" and "flo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fax" is a noun and "flo" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "fax" vs "flo" - which ranks higher?
"fax" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,370 in our Portuguese list, against #26,750 for "flo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fax" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "flo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #24,870 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fax" and "flo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filão vs flo". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #24,870 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list