Which to use
“abaixar” and “abalar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,754
- “abaixar” frequency rank
- #16,655
- “abalar” frequency rank
- 31409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abaixar | abalar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | inclinar para baixo (transitivo) | fazer tremer ou oscilar |
Where the eye mixes abaixar and abalar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abaixar runs 7 letters (VCVVCVC) against abalar's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abaixar with abalar
A purely visual mix-up. abaixar (/a.bai̯.ˈʃaɾ/, /a.bai̯.ˈʃaʁ/) and abalar (/ɐ.bɐ.ˈlaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abaixar is recorded at frequency rank #14,754, classified as averb, pronounced /a.bai̯.ˈʃaɾ/, /a.bai̯.ˈʃaʁ/. abalar is at rank #16,655, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.bɐ.ˈlaɾ/.
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 31409, this pair ranks #36,694 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abaixar vs abalar
Shared letters: abr. Private to "abaixar": ix. Private to "abalar": l.
"abaixar" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "abalar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abaixar" and "abalar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "abaixar" or "abalar" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abaixar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abalar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,694 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abaixar" and "abalar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abalar vs abarcar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #36,694 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.