Which to use
“alcançar” and “arrancar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,214
- “alcançar” frequency rank
- #8,422
- “arrancar” frequency rank
- 10636
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alcançar | arrancar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | chegar a algum lugar ou ponto | tirar da terra |
Where the eye mixes alcançar and arrancar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: alcançar vs arrancar
A purely visual mix-up. alcançar (/aɫ.kɐ̃.ˈsaɾ/) and arrancar (/ɐ.Rɐ̃.ˈkaɾ/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alcançar is recorded at frequency rank #2,214, classified as averb, pronounced /aɫ.kɐ̃.ˈsaɾ/. arrancar is at rank #8,422, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.Rɐ̃.ˈkaɾ/.
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 10636, this pair ranks #62,405 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of alcançar vs arrancar
Shared letters: acnr. Private to "alcançar": lç. Private to "arrancar": -.
"alcançar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "arrancar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- arrancar ← arancar · ararncar · arracnar · arranacr · arrancarr · arranccar · arrancra · arranncar
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "alcançar" for "arrancar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "alcançar" or "arrancar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "alcançar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arrancar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,405 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alcançar" and "arrancar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrandar vs arrancar". 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 #62,405 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.