Which to use
“abraço” and “arco” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,952
- “abraço” frequency rank
- #4,287
- “arco” frequency rank
- 8239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abraço | arco |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | ente geométrico cuja principal característica é a curva |
Where the eye mixes abraço and arco
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. abraço runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against arco's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abraço with arco
A purely visual mix-up. abraço (/aˈbɾa.su/) and arco (/ˈaɾ.ku/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8239, 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/. arco is at rank #4,287, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɾ.ku/.
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 8239, this pair ranks #65,619 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abraço vs arco
Shared letters: aor. Private to "abraço": bç. Private to "arco": c.
"abraço" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "arco" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- arco ← arcco · aroc · arrco · raco
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abraço" and "arco" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "abraço" vs "arco" - which ranks higher?
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 "abraço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,619 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abraço" and "arco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs arco". 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 #65,619 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.