Which to use
“pau” and “pausa” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,492
- “pau” frequency rank
- #5,774
- “pausa” frequency rank
- 8266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pau | pausa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bastão de madeira | uma pequena parada ou interrupção quando se está fazendo ou falando algo |
Letter map: pau vs pausa
Shared letters muted; letters that set pau and pausa apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Spelling & dictionary notes on pau vs pausa
pau and pausa 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 2 extra letter(s) - “pau” sits inside “pausa”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pau is recorded at frequency rank #2,492, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpaw/. pausa is at rank #5,774, tagged as anoun.
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 8266, this pair ranks #65,572 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pau vs pausa
Shared letters: apu. Private to "pau": -. Private to "pausa": s.
"pau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "pausa" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pausa ← apusa · pasua · pauas · paussa · ppausa · puasa
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pau" and "pausa" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pau" or "pausa" show up more?
After this comparison
Pair "pau" vs "pausa" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "pau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pausa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,572 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pau" and "pausa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pau vs pix". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #65,572 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.