bolarvsborrarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,019
“bolar” frequency rank
#41,857
“borrar” frequency rank
80876
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bolar borrar
Definition idealizar, conceber cobrir com bosta a eira terrosa, previamente à malha do cereal, para assim facilitar a lavoura.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bolar and borrar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
bolar
6 ch
borrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bolar (/bu.ˈlaɾ/) and borrar (/bo.ˈraɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bolar is recorded at frequency rank #39,019, classified as averb, pronounced /bu.ˈlaɾ/. borrar is at rank #41,857, tagged as averb, pronounced /bo.ˈraɾ/.

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 80876, this pair ranks #1,254 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bolar vs borrar

Shared letters: abor. Private to "bolar": l. Private to "borrar": -.

"bolar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "borrar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bolarbbolar · bloar · boalr · bolarr · bollar · bolra · oblar
  • borrarbborrar · borarr · borrarr · borrra · brorar · obrrar

Frequency comparison

bolar#39,019
borrar#41,857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bolar" and "borrar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/bu.ˈlaɾ/ versus /bo.ˈraɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bolar" or "borrar"?
"bolar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,019 in our Portuguese list, against #41,857 for "borrar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bolar vs borrar

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 “bolar” 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