Which to use
“pó” is a noun and “pro” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,718
- “pó” frequency rank
- #1,173
- “pro” frequency rank
- 4891
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pó | pro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | parte da terra formada por pequenos grânulos | para |
Where the eye mixes pó and pro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: pó vs pro
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pó is /ˈpɔ/ while pro is /ˈprɔ/ ouvir^(fonte ?). 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 (noun vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4891, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pó is recorded at frequency rank #3,718, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɔ/. pro is at rank #1,173, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ˈprɔ/ 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 4891, this pair ranks #69,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pó vs pro
Shared letters: p. Private to "pó": ó. Private to "pro": or.
"pó" · 2 letters · shape CV · "pro" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pó" for "pro" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pó" or "pro" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pó" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pó" and "pro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pix vs pó". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #69,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.