Which to use
“abraçar” and “abraçou” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,588
- “abraçar” frequency rank
- #17,680
- “abraçou” frequency rank
- 25268
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abraçar | abraçou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | envolver com os braços | terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo abraçar |
Where the eye mixes abraçar and abraçou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abraçar (VCCVCVC) and abraçou (VCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: abraçar vs abraçou
A purely visual mix-up. abraçar (/ɐ.bɾɐ.ˈsaɾ/) and abraçou (\a.bɾa.sˈoʊ̯\) 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 25268, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abraçar is recorded at frequency rank #7,588, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ.bɾɐ.ˈsaɾ/. abraçou is at rank #17,680, tagged as averb, pronounced \a.bɾa.sˈoʊ̯\.
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 25268, this pair ranks #44,083 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abraçar vs abraçou
Shared letters: abrç. Private to "abraçar": -. Private to "abraçou": ou.
"abraçar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "abraçou" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abraçar" and "abraçou" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "abraçar" or "abraçou" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "abraçar" and "abraçou" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abraçar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abraçou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,083 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abraçar" and "abraçou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abraçar vs aplacar". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #44,083 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.