pêlovspolaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“pêlo” and “pola” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,526
“pêlo” frequency rank
#42,156
“pola” frequency rank
68682
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pêlo pola
Definition vide pelo estaca

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pêlo and pola apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
pêlo
4 ch
pola

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pêlo (/ˈpe.lu/) and pola (/'pɔ.la/ para o ramo da àrvore) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68682, 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/. pola is at rank #42,156, tagged as anoun, pronounced /'pɔ.la/ para o ramo da àrvore.

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 68682, this pair ranks #4,198 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pêlo vs pola

Shared letters: lop. Private to "pêlo": ê. Private to "pola": a.

"pêlo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "pola" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • polaopla · ploa · poal · polla · ppola

Frequency comparison

pêlo#26,526
pola#42,156

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pêlo" and "pola" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈpe.lu/ versus /'pɔ.la/ para o ramo da àrvore) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pêlo" or "pola"?
"pêlo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,526 in our Portuguese list, against #42,156 for "pola". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pêlo vs pola

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pêlo” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list