Which to use
“preto” is an adjective and “pro” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,255
- “preto” frequency rank
- #1,173
- “pro” frequency rank
- 2428
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preto | pro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que tem cor preta | para |
Where the eye mixes preto and pro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between preto and pro
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: preto is /ˈpɾetu/ while pro is /ˈprɔ/ ouvir^(fonte ?). Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preto is recorded at frequency rank #1,255, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpɾetu/. 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 2428, this pair ranks #72,970 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preto vs pro
Shared letters: opr. Private to "preto": et. Private to "pro": -.
"preto" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "pro" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- preto ← ppreto · preot · pretto · prreto · prteo · rpeto
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "preto" for "pro" ever safe?
Frequency check: "preto" vs "pro" - which ranks higher?
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 "preto" 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 #72,970 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preto" and "pro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pix vs pro". 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 #72,970 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.