Which to use
“fila” is a noun and “filiar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,079
- “fila” frequency rank
- #41,026
- “filiar” frequency rank
- 44105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fila | filiar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sequência de pessoas ou coisas dispostas de forma organizada, em linha; enfiada | tomar como filho, adotar |
Where the eye mixes fila and filiar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fila runs 4 letters (CVCV) against filiar's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fila with filiar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fila is /ˈfi.lɐ/ while filiar is /fi.ˈljaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fila is recorded at frequency rank #3,079, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfi.lɐ/. filiar is at rank #41,026, tagged as averb, pronounced /fi.ˈljaɾ/.
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 44105, this pair ranks #21,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fila vs filiar
Shared letters: afil. Private to "fila": -. Private to "filiar": r.
"fila" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "filiar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fila" for "filiar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fila" or "filiar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fila" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filiar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fila" and "filiar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filão vs filiar". 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 #21,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.