Which to use
“qual” is a pronoun and “quis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #125
- “qual” frequency rank
- #1,256
- “quis” frequency rank
- 1381
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | qual | quis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | quem, que; o pronome qual enfatiza a eleição entre várias possibilidades | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo querer |
Where the eye mixes qual and quis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: qual vs quis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: qual is /ˈkwaɫ/ while quis is /ˈkis/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
qual is recorded at frequency rank #125, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈkwaɫ/. quis is at rank #1,256, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈkis/.
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 1381, this pair ranks #74,200 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of qual vs quis
Shared letters: qu. Private to "qual": al. Private to "quis": is.
"qual" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "quis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "qual" and "quis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "qual" or "quis"?
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 "qual" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "quis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,200 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "qual" and "quis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quis vs quit". 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 #74,200 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.