Which to use
“ampliar” and “aplicar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,834
- “ampliar” frequency rank
- #5,378
- “aplicar” frequency rank
- 12212
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ampliar | aplicar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tornar maior, aumentar | sobrepor, pôr sobre |
Where the eye mixes ampliar and aplicar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ampliar (VCCCVVC) and aplicar (VCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ampliar with aplicar
A purely visual mix-up. ampliar (/ɐ̃.pli.ˈaɾ/) and aplicar (/ɐ.pli.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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ampliar is recorded at frequency rank #6,834, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ̃.pli.ˈaɾ/. aplicar is at rank #5,378, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.pli.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 12212, this pair ranks #60,462 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ampliar vs aplicar
Shared letters: ailpr. Private to "ampliar": m. Private to "aplicar": c.
"ampliar" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC · "aplicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ampliar" and "aplicar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ampliar" or "aplicar"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ampliar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aplicar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #60,462 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ampliar" and "aplicar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ampliar vs amputar". 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 #60,462 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.