Which to use
“alcoólico” is an adjective and “alcoolismo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,204
- “alcoólico” frequency rank
- #15,248
- “alcoolismo” frequency rank
- 37452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alcoólico | alcoolismo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que contém álcool | estado patológico, resultante da ingestão habitual ou acidental de bebidas alcoólicas |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alcoólico and alcoolismo apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
alcoólico and alcoolismo form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37452, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alcoólico is recorded at frequency rank #22,204, classified as anadj. alcoolismo is at rank #15,248, tagged as anoun, pronounced /awko:liʃmʊ/..
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 37452, this pair ranks #29,161 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alcoólico" and "alcoolismo" be used interchangeably?
Remembering alcoólico vs alcoolismo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “alcoólico”; for a noun, it's “alcoolismo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alcoólico” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable