Which to use
“lícito” is an adjective and “lírio” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,231
- “lícito” frequency rank
- #24,381
- “lírio” frequency rank
- 64612
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lícito | lírio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que está de acordo com a lei | nome vulgar de algumas plantas bolbosas ou rizomatosas cultivadas com fins ornamentais |
Where the eye mixes lícito and lírio
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lícito runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against lírio's 5 (CVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lícito vs lírio
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lícito is /ˈli.si.tu/ while lírio is /ˈłirju/. 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 64612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lícito is recorded at frequency rank #40,231, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈli.si.tu/. lírio is at rank #24,381, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈłirju/.
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 64612, this pair ranks #5,704 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lícito vs lírio
Shared letters: iloí. Private to "lícito": ct. Private to "lírio": r.
"lícito" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "lírio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lícito" for "lírio" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lícito" vs "lírio" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lícito" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lírio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,704 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lícito" and "lírio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lírio vs lirismo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #5,704 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.