leovsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,079
“leo” frequency rank
#37,407
“ló” frequency rank
41486
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leo
Definition leão lado de uma embarcação que fica exposto ao vento

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leo and apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
leo
2 ch
ló

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leo (/ˈle.oː/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) and (/ˈlɔ/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41486, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leo is recorded at frequency rank #4,079, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈle.oː/ ouvir^(fonte ?). 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 41486, this pair ranks #24,428 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leo vs ló

Shared letters: l. Private to "leo": eo. Private to "ló": ó.

"leo" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "ló" · 2 letters · shape CV

Frequency comparison

leo#4,079
#37,407

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leo" and "ló" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈle.oː/ ouvir^(fonte ?) versus /ˈlɔ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leo" or "ló"?
"leo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,079 in our Portuguese list, against #37,407 for "ló". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leo vs ló

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 “leo” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list