osvsovoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: os is a article, ovo is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“os” is an article and “ovo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19
“os” frequency rank
#4,416
“ovo” frequency rank
4435
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature os ovo
Definition usado para apontar um nome definido, único ovo

Where the spellings diverge

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

2 ch
os
3 ch
ovo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

os and ovo form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

os is recorded at frequency rank #19, classified as anarticle, pronounced /uʃ/, /us/ (menos frequente); enfático: /oʃ/, /os/ (menos frequente). ovo is at rank #4,416, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɔ.vɔ/.

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 4435, this pair ranks #70,470 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

os#19
ovo#4,416

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "os" and "ovo" be used interchangeably?
No, "os" and "ovo" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering os vs ovo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “os”; for a noun, it's “ovo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “os” 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