Which to use
“feio” is an adjective and “friso” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,727
- “feio” frequency rank
- #47,371
- “friso” frequency rank
- 52098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feio | friso |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | não estético, horrendo | faixa ou tira ao longo de uma parede usada como ornamento |
Where the eye mixes feio and friso
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses feio with friso
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: feio is /ˈfɐj.u/ while friso is /ˈfɾi.zu/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feio is recorded at frequency rank #4,727, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɐj.u/. friso is at rank #47,371, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɾi.zu/.
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 52098, this pair ranks #13,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of feio vs friso
Shared letters: fio. Private to "feio": e. Private to "friso": rs.
"feio" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "friso" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feio" and "friso" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "feio" vs "friso" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "feio" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "friso" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #13,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feio" and "friso" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feioso vs friso". 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 #13,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.