Which to use
“poço” and “pombo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,129
- “poço” frequency rank
- #14,928
- “pombo” frequency rank
- 20057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | poço | pombo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | buraco fundo, geralmente circular, cavado no chão, com o objetivo de encontrar água | ave da ordem das columbinas com muitas espécies domésticas e selvagens |
Where the eye mixes poço and pombo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: poço vs pombo
A purely visual mix-up. poço (/ˈpo.su/) and pombo (/ˈpõ.bu/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
poço is recorded at frequency rank #5,129, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpo.su/. pombo is at rank #14,928, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpõ.bu/.
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 20057, this pair ranks #50,548 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of poço vs pombo
Shared letters: op. Private to "poço": ç. Private to "pombo": bm.
"poço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pombo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pombo ← opmbo · pmobo · pobmo · pombbo · pommbo · pomob · ppombo
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "poço" and "pombo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "poço" or "pombo"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "poço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pombo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #50,548 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "poço" and "pombo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pombo vs pomo". 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 #50,548 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.