alegriavsalergiaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“alegria” and “alergia” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,696
“alegria” frequency rank
#11,204
“alergia” frequency rank
12900
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alegria alergia
Definition contentamento sensibilidade anormal do organismo perante certas substâncias

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alegria and alergia apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
alegria
7 ch
alergia

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

alegria and alergia 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 only by swapping two adjacent letters (gr ↔ rg) - a transposition the eye reads straight past - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12900, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alegria is recorded at frequency rank #1,696, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.lɨ.ˈɡɾi.ɐ/. alergia is at rank #11,204, tagged as anoun.

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 12900, this pair ranks #59,559 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

alegria#1,696
alergia#11,204

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alegria" and "alergia" be used interchangeably?
No, "alegria" and "alergia" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering alegria vs alergia

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alegria” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list