Which to use
“abraço” is a noun and “abraçou” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,952
- “abraço” frequency rank
- #17,680
- “abraçou” frequency rank
- 21632
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abraço | abraçou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gesto de afeto no qual uma pessoa contorna com seus braços a outra pessoa, animal, objeto, etc., como forma de manifestar carinho, amizade, apoio, conforto, etc. | terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo abraçar |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abraço and abraçou apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abraço is /aˈbɾa.su/ while abraçou is \a.bɾa.sˈoʊ̯\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “abraço” sits inside “abraçou”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21632, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abraço is recorded at frequency rank #3,952, classified as anoun, pronounced /aˈbɾa.su/. 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 21632, this pair ranks #48,573 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abraço vs abraçou
Shared letters: aborç. Private to "abraço": -. Private to "abraçou": u.
"abraço" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "abraçou" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abraço" and "abraçou" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abraço" or "abraçou"?
Remembering abraço vs abraçou
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “abraço”; for a verb, it's “abraçou”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abraço” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable