abaixar vs abalar, What's the Difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abaixar and abalar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

abaixar

6 ch

abalar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

abaixar ← aabixar · abaiaxr · abaixarr · abaixra · abaixxar · abaxiar · abbaixar · abiaxar
abalar ← aablar · abaalr · abalarr · aballar · abalra · abbalar · ablaar · baalar

Frequency comparison

abaixar#14,754

abalar#16,655

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abaixar" and "abalar" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/a.bai̯.ˈʃaɾ/, /a.bai̯.ˈʃaʁ/ versus /ɐ.bɐ.ˈlaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "abaixar" or "abalar"?

"abaixar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,754 in our Portuguese list, against #16,655 for "abalar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abaixar vs abalar

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 “abaixar” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable