Which to use
“pêlo” and “pes” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,526
- “pêlo” frequency rank
- #23,445
- “pes” frequency rank
- 49971
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pêlo | pes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vide pelo | cão |
Where the eye mixes pêlo and pes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. pêlo runs 4 letters (CVCV) against pes's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pêlo with pes
A purely visual mix-up. pêlo (/ˈpe.lu/) and pes (/ˈpɛs ouvir^(fonte ?)) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pêlo is recorded at frequency rank #26,526, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpe.lu/. pes is at rank #23,445, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɛs ouvir^(fonte ?).
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 49971, this pair ranks #15,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pêlo vs pes
Shared letters: p. Private to "pêlo": loê. Private to "pes": es.
"pêlo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pêlo" for "pes" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pêlo" or "pes" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pêlo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #15,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pêlo" and "pes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pêlo vs pilão". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #15,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.