Which to use
“íris” and “irmã” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,993
- “íris” frequency rank
- #939
- “irmã” frequency rank
- 8932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | íris | irmã |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | meteoro luminoso produzido na atmosfera em forma de arco pela decomposição dos raios solares | aquela que em relação a outrem, possui os dois pais (o mesmo pai e a mesma mãe ao mesmo tempo) em comum |
Where the eye mixes íris and irmã
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: íris vs irmã
A purely visual mix-up. íris (/ˈi.ɾiʃ/) and irmã (/iɾ.ˈmɐ̃/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
íris is recorded at frequency rank #7,993, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈi.ɾiʃ/. irmã is at rank #939, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iɾ.ˈmɐ̃/.
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 8932, this pair ranks #64,669 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of íris vs irmã
Shared letters: ir. Private to "íris": sí. Private to "irmã": mã.
"íris" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "irmã" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "íris" and "irmã" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "íris" or "irmã"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "íris" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "irmã" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,669 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "íris" and "irmã" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ioiô vs íris". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #64,669 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.