Which to use
“qual” is a pronoun and “que” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #125
- “qual” frequency rank
- #4
- “que” frequency rank
- 129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | qual | que |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | quem, que; o pronome qual enfatiza a eleição entre várias possibilidades | quanto, quão grande, qual de |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set qual and que apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
qual and que form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
qual is recorded at frequency rank #125, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈkwaɫ/. que is at rank #4, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈkɨ/.
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 129, this pair ranks #75,530 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "qual" and "que" be used interchangeably?
Remembering qual vs que
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “qual”; for an adverb, it's “que”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “qual” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable