Which to use
“pão” is a noun and “par” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,942
- “pão” frequency rank
- #2,060
- “par” frequency rank
- 4002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pão | par |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | alimento à base de farinha amassada, fermentada e assada em forno | diz-se dos números divisíveis por 2 |
Where the eye mixes pão and par
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. pão (CVV) and par (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between pão and par
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pão is /ˈpɐ̃w̃/ while par is /paχ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pão is recorded at frequency rank #1,942, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɐ̃w̃/. par is at rank #2,060, tagged as anadj, pronounced /paχ/.
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 4002, this pair ranks #71,038 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pão vs par
Shared letters: p. Private to "pão": oã. Private to "par": ar.
"pão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "par" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pão" for "par" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pão" or "par" 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 "pão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "par" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,038 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pão" and "par" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "par vs pix". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #71,038 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.