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 eye mixes isto and it
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. isto runs 4 letters (VCCV) against it's 2 (VC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: isto vs it
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
- isto ← isot · issto · istto · itso
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "isto" and "it" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "isto" or "it" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "isto" and "it" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "isto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "it" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "isto" and "it" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ino vs it". 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 #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.