istovsitWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“isto” and “it” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#349
“isto” frequency rank
#1,934
“it” frequency rank
2283
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature isto it
Definition indica algo que está próximo a quem fala ou assunto de que se fala caso nominativo da terceira pessoa neutra do singular, ele, ela, ile

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
isto
2 ch
it

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. isto (/ˈis.tu/) and it (/ɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

isto is recorded at frequency rank #349, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈis.tu/. it is at rank #1,934, tagged as apron, pronounced /ɪt/.

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 2283, this pair ranks #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of isto vs it

Shared letters: it. Private to "isto": os. Private to "it": -.

"isto" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "it" · 2 letters · shape VC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • istoisot · issto · istto · itso

Frequency comparison

isto#349
it#1,934

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "isto" and "it" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈis.tu/ versus /ɪt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "isto" or "it"?
"isto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #349 in our Portuguese list, against #1,934 for "it". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering isto vs it

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “isto” 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