Quick answer
Dado is a recorded input or fact; informação is what those facts communicate in context.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
dado
data point or given fact
Use dado for a recorded measurement, observation, value, or item used in analysis.
informação
information
Use informação for meaningful knowledge communicated or produced by organizing and interpreting data.
How to choose
- dado: Choose dado if the sentence points to a recorded measurement, observation, value, or item used in analysis.
- informação: Choose informação if the sentence points to meaningful knowledge communicated or produced by organizing and interpreting data.
Examples
O dado mostra uma queda de dez por cento.
The data point shows a ten percent drop.
A informação foi confirmada pela equipe.
The information was confirmed by the team.
Common trap
In ordinary speech they overlap. In analysis, keep dados as the evidence and informação as the meaning drawn or communicated.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with dado, then once with informação. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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