Which to use
“lau” is an adjective and “ló” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,230
- “lau” frequency rank
- #37,407
- “ló” frequency rank
- 58637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lau | ló |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | morno, tépido: | lado de uma embarcação que fica exposto ao vento |
Where the eye mixes lau and ló
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. lau runs 3 letters (CVV) against ló's 2 (CV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lau and ló
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lau is /ˈlaʊ̯/ while ló is /ˈlɔ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lau is recorded at frequency rank #21,230, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈlaʊ̯/. ló is at rank #37,407, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɔ/.
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 58637, this pair ranks #8,625 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lau vs ló
Shared letters: l. Private to "lau": au. Private to "ló": ó.
"lau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "ló" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lau" for "ló" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lau" vs "ló" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ló" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #8,625 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lau" and "ló" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ló vs loch". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #8,625 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.