queijovsqueiraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: queijo is a noun, queira is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“queijo” is a noun and “queira” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,102
“queijo” frequency rank
#2,393
“queira” frequency rank
5495
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature queijo queira
Definition alimento obtido pela separação da parte sólida do leite coalhado terceira pessoa do singular do imperativo do verbo querer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set queijo and queira apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
queijo
6 ch
queira

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: queijo is anoun and queiraaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

queijo is recorded at frequency rank #3,102, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɐj.ʒu/. queira is at rank #2,393, tagged as averb.

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 5495, this pair ranks #69,103 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of queijo vs queira

Shared letters: eiqu. Private to "queijo": jo. Private to "queira": ar.

"queijo" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCV  ·  "queira" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • queijoqeuijo · qqueijo · queijjo · queioj · quejio · quiejo · uqeijo
  • queiraqeuira · qqueira · queiar · queirra · queria · quiera · uqeira

Frequency comparison

queijo#3,102
queira#2,393

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "queijo" and "queira" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "queijo" is a noun and "queira" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "queijo" or "queira"?
"queira" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,393 in our Portuguese list, against #3,102 for "queijo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering queijo vs queira

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list