portarvsportesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“portar” and “portes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,045
“portar” frequency rank
#33,283
“portes” frequency rank
51328
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature portar portes
Definition Llevar algo apoyado en el cuerpo o con la mano. :*Uso: formal Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de portar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
portar
6 ch
portes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. portar ([poɾˈt̪aɾ]) and portes ([ˈpoɾt̪es]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51328, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

portar is recorded at frequency rank #18,045, classified as averb, pronounced [poɾˈt̪aɾ]. portes is at rank #33,283, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpoɾt̪es].

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 51328, this pair ranks #98,449 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of portar vs portes

Shared letters: oprt. Private to "portar": a. Private to "portes": es.

"portar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "portes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • portaroprtar · poratr · porrtar · portarr · portra · porttar · potrar · pportar
  • portesoprtes · porets · porrtes · portess · portse · porttes · potres · pportes

Frequency comparison

portar#18,045
portes#33,283

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "portar" and "portes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([poɾˈt̪aɾ] versus [ˈpoɾt̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "portar" or "portes"?
"portar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,045 in our Spanish list, against #33,283 for "portes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering portar vs portes

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 “portar” 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