Which to use
“paço” and “pedaço” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,136
- “paço” frequency rank
- #4,013
- “pedaço” frequency rank
- 22149
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paço | pedaço |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | residência oficial de um governante, monarca, soberano ou dignitário religioso | uma parte de qualquer coisa que se dividiu |
Where the eye mixes paço and pedaço
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. paço runs 4 letters (CVCV) against pedaço's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses paço with pedaço
A purely visual mix-up. paço (/pˈasʊ/) and pedaço (/pɨ.ˈda.su/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22149, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paço is recorded at frequency rank #18,136, classified as anoun, pronounced /pˈasʊ/. pedaço is at rank #4,013, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɨ.ˈda.su/.
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 22149, this pair ranks #47,959 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of paço vs pedaço
Shared letters: aopç. Private to "paço": -. Private to "pedaço": de.
"paço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pedaço" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "paço" and "pedaço" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "paço" or "pedaço" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "paço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pedaço" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,959 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "paço" and "pedaço" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "paço vs paçoca". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #47,959 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.