quão vs quatro, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“quão” is an adverb and “quatro” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,849
“quão” frequency rank: #353
“quatro” frequency rank: 3202
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	quão	quatro
Definition	exprime intensidade: quanto, como	o número quatro (4, IV)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quão and quatro apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

quão

6 ch

quatro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: quão is anadverb and quatroanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3202, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quão is recorded at frequency rank #2,849, classified as anadv. quatro is at rank #353, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwa.tɾu/.

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 3202, this pair ranks #71,985 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of quão vs quatro

Shared letters: oqu. Private to "quão": ã. Private to "quatro": art.

"quão" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "quatro" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

quatro ← qautro · qquatro · quator · quatrro · quattro · qutaro · uqatro

Frequency comparison

quão#2,849

quatro#353

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quão" and "quatro" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "quão" is an adverb and "quatro" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "quão" or "quatro"?

"quatro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #353 in our Portuguese list, against #2,849 for "quão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering quão vs quatro

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “quão”; for a noun, it's “quatro”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quão” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable