Which to use
“filho” is an adjective and “filtro” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #245
- “filho” frequency rank
- #8,055
- “filtro” frequency rank
- 8300
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | filho | filtro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | procedente, resultante | material ou aparelho que separa as matérias que se encontram misturadas em um líquido ou gás |
Where the eye mixes filho and filtro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. filho runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against filtro's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses filho with filtro
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: filho is /ˈfi.ʎu/ while filtro is /ˈfiɫ.tɾu/. 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 8300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
filho is recorded at frequency rank #245, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfi.ʎu/. filtro is at rank #8,055, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfiɫ.tɾu/.
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 8300, this pair ranks #65,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of filho vs filtro
Shared letters: filo. Private to "filho": h. Private to "filtro": rt.
"filho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "filtro" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "filho" for "filtro" ever safe?
Frequency check: "filho" vs "filtro" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "filho" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filtro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "filho" and "filtro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filão vs filtro". 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 #65,517 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.