RadvsrádioWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Rad” and “rádio” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,306
“Rad” frequency rank
#857
“rádio” frequency rank
36163
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rad rádio
Definition roda elemento químico de símbolo Ra, possui o número atômico 88 e massa atômica relativa 226,025 u; é um metal alcalino terroso, branco prateado, altamente radioativo; ocorre em todos os minérios de urânio, e é produzido por decaimento radioativo; é utilizado na medicina para tratamento de câncer e, em laboratórios, como fonte de neutrons para análise de materiais

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Rad and rádio apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
Rad
5 ch
rádio

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Rad and rádio are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36163, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rad is recorded at frequency rank #35,306, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈraːt/. rádio is at rank #857, tagged as anoun.

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 36163, this pair ranks #30,710 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Rad vs rádio

Shared letters: dr. Private to "Rad": a. Private to "rádio": ioá.

"Rad" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "rádio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Frequency comparison

Rad#35,306
rádio#857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rad" and "rádio" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "Rad" or "rádio"?
"rádio" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #857 in our Portuguese list, against #35,306 for "Rad". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Rad vs rádio

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Rad” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list