Which to use
“io” is an adverb and “isto” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,900
- “io” frequency rank
- #349
- “isto” frequency rank
- 19249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | io | isto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sempre | indica algo que está próximo a quem fala ou assunto de que se fala |
Where the eye mixes io and isto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. io runs 2 letters (VV) against isto's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses io with isto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: io is /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/ while isto is /ˈis.tu/. 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 (adverb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
io is recorded at frequency rank #18,900, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈi.o/, /ˈi.ɔ/. isto is at rank #349, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈis.tu/.
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 19249, this pair ranks #51,531 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of io vs isto
Shared letters: io. Private to "io": -. Private to "isto": st.
"io" · 2 letters · shape VV · "isto" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- isto ← isot · issto · istto · itso
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "io" and "isto" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "io" or "isto"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "io" and "isto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "io" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "isto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,531 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "io" and "isto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ino vs io". 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 #51,531 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.