Which to use
“feijão” and “ferrão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,737
- “feijão” frequency rank
- #31,372
- “ferrão” frequency rank
- 37109
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feijão | ferrão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nome vulgar de plantas volúveis da família das leguminosas também chamadas de feijoeiro | órgão retrátil dos insetos |
Where the eye mixes feijão and ferrão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. feijão (CVVCVV) and ferrão (CVCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses feijão with ferrão
A purely visual mix-up. feijão (/fɐj.ˈʒɐ̃w̃/) and ferrão (/fɨ.ˈRɐ̃w̃/) 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 37109, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feijão is recorded at frequency rank #5,737, classified as anoun, pronounced /fɐj.ˈʒɐ̃w̃/. ferrão is at rank #31,372, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fɨ.ˈRɐ̃w̃/.
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 37109, this pair ranks #29,576 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of feijão vs ferrão
Shared letters: efoã. Private to "feijão": ij. Private to "ferrão": r.
"feijão" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVV · "ferrão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feijão" and "ferrão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "feijão" or "ferrão"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "feijão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ferrão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,576 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feijão" and "ferrão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ferrão vs fierro". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #29,576 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.