Which to use
“fofo” is an adjective and “foi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,529
- “fofo” frequency rank
- #26
- “foi” frequency rank
- 7555
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fofo | foi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que cede facilmente à pressão | terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo ser |
Letter map: fofo vs foi
Shared letters muted; letters that set fofo and foi apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: fofo vs foi
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: fofo is anadjective and foiaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fofo is recorded at frequency rank #7,529, classified as anadj. foi is at rank #26, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfoj/.
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 7555, this pair ranks #66,560 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fofo vs foi
Shared letters: fo. Private to "fofo": -. Private to "foi": i.
"fofo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "foi" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- fofo ← ffofo · ffoo · foffo · foof · offo
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fofo" and "foi" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fofo" vs "foi" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "fofo" and "foi".
- Full dictionary entry for "fofo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "foi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #66,560 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fofo" and "foi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fofo vs fosco". 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 #66,560 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.