Which to use
“gato” and “grão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,273
- “gato” frequency rank
- #8,346
- “grão” frequency rank
- 10619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gato | grão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bonito | forma reduzida de grande |
Where the eye mixes gato and grão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses gato with grão
A purely visual mix-up. gato ([ˈgätʊ]) and grão (/ˈɡɾɐ̃w̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gato is recorded at frequency rank #2,273, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈgätʊ]. grão is at rank #8,346, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɡɾɐ̃w̃/.
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 10619, this pair ranks #62,425 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gato vs grão
Shared letters: go. Private to "gato": at. Private to "grão": rã.
"gato" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "grão" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- gato ← agto · gaot · gatto · ggato · gtao
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gato" for "grão" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gato" vs "grão" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gato" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,425 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gato" and "grão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grão vs grip". 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 #62,425 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.