Which to use
“afeição” and “ambição” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,213
- “afeição” frequency rank
- #9,795
- “ambição” frequency rank
- 34008
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | afeição | ambição |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de afeiçoar; ternura; afecto; amizade; amor: | desejo forte de fortuna, de glória, de honrarias, de poder ou de outra coisa qualquer, dependendo do contexto |
Where the eye mixes afeição and ambição
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. afeição (VCVVCVV) and ambição (VCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between afeição and ambição
A purely visual mix-up. afeição (/ɐ.fɐj.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and ambição (/ɐ̃.bi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) 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 34008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
afeição is recorded at frequency rank #24,213, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.fɐj.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. ambição is at rank #9,795, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɐ̃.bi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/.
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 34008, this pair ranks #33,367 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of afeição vs ambição
Shared letters: aioãç. Private to "afeição": ef. Private to "ambição": bm.
"afeição" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVV · "ambição" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "afeição" for "ambição" ever safe?
Which is more common, "afeição" or "ambição"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "afeição" and "ambição" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "afeição" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ambição" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,367 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "afeição" and "ambição" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "afegão vs afeição". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #33,367 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.