Which to use
“cabeça” and “cadeia” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #361
- “cabeça” frequency rank
- #1,838
- “cadeia” frequency rank
- 2199
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cabeça | cadeia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | parte do corpo humano, onde se localizam o cérebro, protegido pelo crânio, e a face, ligada ao tronco pelo pescoço | local que serve de detenção temporária para criminosos de baixa periculosidade |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cabeça and cadeia apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cabeça and cadeia form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2199, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cabeça is recorded at frequency rank #361, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈbe.sɐ/. cadeia is at rank #1,838, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈdɐj.ɐ/.
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 2199, this pair ranks #73,265 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cabeça" and "cadeia" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cabeça vs cadeia
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 “cabeça” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable