Which to use
“arranhar” and “arrastar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,565
- “arranhar” frequency rank
- #13,442
- “arrastar” frequency rank
- 48007
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arranhar | arrastar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ferir levemente (a pele) com as unhas, objeto áspero ou pontiagudo | puxar atrás de si, geralmente com dificuldade, fazendo que deslize pelo chão |
Where the eye mixes arranhar and arrastar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. arranhar and arrastar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: arranhar vs arrastar
A purely visual mix-up. arranhar (/ɐ.Rɐ.ˈɲaɾ/) and arrastar (/ɐ.Rɐʃ.ˈtaɾ/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48007, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arranhar is recorded at frequency rank #34,565, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ.Rɐ.ˈɲaɾ/. arrastar is at rank #13,442, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.Rɐʃ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 48007, this pair ranks #17,214 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of arranhar vs arrastar
Shared letters: ar. Private to "arranhar": hn. Private to "arrastar": st.
"arranhar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "arrastar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "arranhar" for "arrastar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "arranhar" vs "arrastar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "arranhar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arrastar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,214 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arranhar" and "arrastar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrandar vs arranhar". 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 #17,214 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.