Which to use
“pão” is a noun and “por” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,942
- “pão” frequency rank
- #18
- “por” frequency rank
- 1960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pão | por |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | alimento à base de farinha amassada, fermentada e assada em forno | exprime, entre outras relações, causa, modo, tempo, meio, lugar, qualidade, estado, preço, etc |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pão and por apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pão is /ˈpɐ̃w̃/ while por is /poɾ/, /pʊɾ/. 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 preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1960, 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/. por is at rank #18, tagged as aprep, pronounced /poɾ/, /pʊɾ/.
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 1960, this pair ranks #73,559 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pão vs por
Shared letters: op. Private to "pão": ã. Private to "por": r.
"pão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "por" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pão" and "por" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pão" or "por"?
Remembering pão vs por
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “pão”; for a preposition, it's “por”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pão” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable