fogovsforaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fogo is a adjective, fora is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fogo” is an adjective and “fora” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#938
“fogo” frequency rank
#246
“fora” frequency rank
1184
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fogo fora
Definition coisa difícil ou trabalhosa exteriormente

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fogo and fora apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fogo
4 ch
fora

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fogo and fora form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fogo is recorded at frequency rank #938, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfo.ɡu/. fora is at rank #246, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈfɔ.ɾɐ/.

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 1184, this pair ranks #74,413 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

fogo#938
fora#246

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fogo" and "fora" be used interchangeably?
No, "fogo" and "fora" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering fogo vs fora

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fogo”; for an adverb, it's “fora”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fogo” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list