Which to use
“lilás” and “limão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,800
- “lilás” frequency rank
- #6,316
- “limão” frequency rank
- 33116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lilás | limão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | planta da família das Oleáceas com flores arroxeadas | fruto do limoeiro, de forma ovoide, cítrico de cor verde-amarela e de sabor ácido |
Where the eye mixes lilás and limão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. lilás (CVCVC) and limão (CVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses lilás with limão
A purely visual mix-up. lilás (/li.ˈlaʃ/) and limão (/li.ˈmɐ̃w̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lilás is recorded at frequency rank #26,800, classified as anoun, pronounced /li.ˈlaʃ/. limão is at rank #6,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced /li.ˈmɐ̃w̃/.
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 33116, this pair ranks #34,494 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lilás vs limão
Shared letters: il. Private to "lilás": sá. Private to "limão": moã.
"lilás" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "limão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lilás" and "limão" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "lilás" vs "limão" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lilás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "limão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,494 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lilás" and "limão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lilás vs lipa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #34,494 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.