cabrãovscapãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,163
“cabrão” frequency rank
#19,358
“capão” frequency rank
57521
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cabrão capão
Definition o macho da cabra; bode galo (ou cavalo) castrado para que não se reproduza e brigue com outros machos

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
cabrão
5 ch
capão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

cabrão and capão 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 by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57521, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cabrão is recorded at frequency rank #38,163, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈbɾɐ̃w̃/. capão is at rank #19,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈpɐ̃w̃/.

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 57521, this pair ranks #9,294 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

cabrão#38,163
capão#19,358

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cabrão" and "capão" be used interchangeably?
No, "cabrão" and "capão" 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 cabrão vs capão

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 “cabrão” 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