Which to use
“que” is an adverb and “quis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4
- “que” frequency rank
- #1,256
- “quis” frequency rank
- 1260
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | que | quis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | quanto, quão grande, qual de | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo querer |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set que and quis apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
que and quis 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 1260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
que is recorded at frequency rank #4, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈkɨ/. 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 1260, this pair ranks #74,329 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "que" and "quis" be used interchangeably?
Remembering que vs quis
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “que”; for a verb, it's “quis”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “que” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable