Which to use
“pica” is an adjective and “pilão” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,962
- “pica” frequency rank
- #45,522
- “pilão” frequency rank
- 53484
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pica | pilão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | excelente, de grande qualidade | mão do almofariz |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pica and pilão 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: pica is /ˈpi.kɐ/ while pilão is /pi.ˈlɐ̃w̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53484, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pica is recorded at frequency rank #7,962, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpi.kɐ/. 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 53484, this pair ranks #11,988 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pica vs pilão
Shared letters: ip. Private to "pica": ac. Private to "pilão": loã.
"pica" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pilão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pica ← ipca · pcia · piac · picca · ppica
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pica" and "pilão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pica" or "pilão"?
Remembering pica vs pilão
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “pica”; for a noun, it's “pilão”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pica” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable