Which to use
“pai” is a noun and “pio” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #240
- “pai” frequency rank
- #12,747
- “pio” frequency rank
- 12987
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pai | pio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | homem que tem filhos, naturais ou adotivos | inclinado à piedade; devoto, religioso |
Letter map: pai vs pio
Shared letters muted; letters that set pai and pio apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Role in the sentence - pai and pio
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: pai is anoun and pioanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pai is recorded at frequency rank #240, classified as anoun. pio is at rank #12,747, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈpi.u/.
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 12987, this pair ranks #59,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pai vs pio
Shared letters: ip. Private to "pai": a. Private to "pio": o.
"pai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "pio" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pai" for "pio" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pai" or "pio" show up more?
What to do next
Pair "pai" vs "pio" 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 "pio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pai" and "pio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pio vs pix". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #59,455 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.