pagãovspagarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pagão is a adjective, pagar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pagão” is an adjective and “pagar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,306
“pagão” frequency rank
#809
“pagar” frequency rank
29115
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pagão pagar
Definition diz-se de pessoa não batizada remunerar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pagão and pagar apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pagão
5 ch
pagar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: pagão is anadjective and pagaraverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pagão is recorded at frequency rank #28,306, classified as anadj. pagar is at rank #809, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɐ.ˈɡaɾ/.

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 29115, this pair ranks #39,588 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pagão vs pagar

Shared letters: agp. Private to "pagão": . Private to "pagar": r.

"pagão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "pagar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pagarapgar · paagr · pagarr · paggar · pagra · pgaar · ppagar

Frequency comparison

pagão#28,306
pagar#809

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pagão" and "pagar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pagão" is an adjective and "pagar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pagão" or "pagar"?
"pagar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #809 in our Portuguese list, against #28,306 for "pagão". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pagão vs pagar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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