Which to use
“pião” and “pilão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,727
- “pião” frequency rank
- #45,522
- “pilão” frequency rank
- 81249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pião | pilão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | brinquedo que consiste em puxar uma corda enrolada a um objeto afunilado, geralmente de madeira ou plástico e com uma ponta de ferro, colocando-o em rotação no solo, mantendo-se erguido | mão do almofariz |
Letter map: pião vs pilão
Shared letters muted; letters that set pião and pilão apart highlighted. Shared run: 4. pião runs 4 letters (CVVV) against pilão's 5 (CVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Corpus notes: pião and pilão
pião and pilão 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pião is recorded at frequency rank #35,727, classified as anoun. pilão is at rank #45,522, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pi.ˈlɐ̃w̃/.
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 81249, this pair ranks #1,195 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pião vs pilão
Shared letters: iopã. Private to "pião": -. Private to "pilão": l.
"pião" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "pilão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pião" for "pilão" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pião" or "pilão" show up more?
After this comparison
Pair "pião" vs "pilão" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "pião" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pilão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,195 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pião" and "pilão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pilão vs platô". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,195 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.