Which to use
“pai” and “pau” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #240
- “pai” frequency rank
- #2,492
- “pau” frequency rank
- 2732
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pai | pau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | homem que tem filhos, naturais ou adotivos | bastão de madeira |
Letter map: pai vs pau
Shared letters muted; letters that set pai and pau apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Corpus notes: pai and pau
pai and pau are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - i in “pai” becomes u in “pau”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2732, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pai is recorded at frequency rank #240, classified as anoun. pau is at rank #2,492, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpaw/.
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 2732, this pair ranks #72,543 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pai vs pau
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pai": i. Private to "pau": u.
"pai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "pau" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pai" for "pau" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pai" vs "pau" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pair "pai" vs "pau" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "pai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,543 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pai" and "pau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pau vs pix". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,543 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.