Which to use
“alçar” is a verb and “alma” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,259
- “alçar” frequency rank
- #1,205
- “alma” frequency rank
- 44464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alçar | alma |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | colocar mais alto, altear, erguer | psique ou psiquê |
Where the eye mixes alçar and alma
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. alçar runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against alma's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses alçar with alma
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alçar is /aɫ.ˈsaɾ/ while alma is /ˈaɫ.mɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alçar is recorded at frequency rank #43,259, classified as averb, pronounced /aɫ.ˈsaɾ/. alma is at rank #1,205, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɫ.mɐ/.
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 44464, this pair ranks #21,011 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alçar vs alma
Shared letters: al. Private to "alçar": rç. Private to "alma": m.
"alçar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "alma" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- alma ← alam · allma · almma · amla
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alçar" and "alma" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "alçar" or "alma"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "alçar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alma" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,011 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alçar" and "alma" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alçar vs alce". 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 #21,011 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.