Which to use
“pie” and “pique” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,145
- “pie” frequency rank
- #17,105
- “pique” frequency rank
- 43250
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pie | pique |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pé | lança de aproximadamente 3 metros, com uma ponta de metal |
Where the eye mixes pie and pique
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pie and pique
A purely visual mix-up. pie ([ pje ]) and pique (/ˈpi.kɨ/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pie is recorded at frequency rank #26,145, classified as anoun, pronounced [ pje ]. pique is at rank #17,105, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpi.kɨ/.
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 43250, this pair ranks #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pie vs pique
Shared letters: eip. Private to "pie": -. Private to "pique": qu.
"pie" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "pique" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pique ← ipque · piqeu · piqque · piuqe · ppique · pqiue
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pie" for "pique" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pie" or "pique" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pique" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pie" and "pique" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pie 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 #22,409 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.