Which to use
“abolir” and “abrir” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,522
- “abolir” frequency rank
- #1,038
- “abrir” frequency rank
- 26560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abolir | abrir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | anular, extinguir | levar de um estado fechado para um aberto, descerrar |
Where the eye mixes abolir and abrir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. abolir runs 6 letters (VCVCVC) against abrir's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abolir and abrir
A purely visual mix-up. abolir ([a.bo.ˈliɾ]) and abrir (/ɐ.ˈbɾiɾ/) 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 26560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abolir is recorded at frequency rank #25,522, classified as averb, pronounced [a.bo.ˈliɾ]. abrir is at rank #1,038, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.ˈbɾiɾ/.
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 26560, this pair ranks #42,588 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abolir vs abrir
Shared letters: abir. Private to "abolir": lo. Private to "abrir": -.
"abolir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "abrir" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abolir" for "abrir" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abolir" or "abrir"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abolir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abrir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,588 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abolir" and "abrir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrir vs arar". 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 #42,588 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.