caçulavscápsulaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#16,242
“caçula” frequency rank
#11,245
“cápsula” frequency rank
27487
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caçula cápsula
Definition vagem de ervilha, vagem de legume, de giesta um fruto seco composto por mais de um carpelo

Where the eye mixes caçula and cápsula

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. caçula runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against cápsula's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
caçula
7 ch
cápsula

Why the eye confuses caçula with cápsula

A purely visual mix-up. caçula (/ka.'su.la/ ou /ka.θu.la/) and cápsula (/ˈka.psu.lɐ/) 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 27487, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caçula is recorded at frequency rank #16,242, classified as anoun, pronounced /ka.'su.la/ ou /ka.θu.la/. cápsula is at rank #11,245, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈka.psu.lɐ/.

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 27487, this pair ranks #41,468 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of caçula vs cápsula

Shared letters: aclu. Private to "caçula": ç. Private to "cápsula": psá.

"caçula" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "cápsula" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "caçula" and "cápsula" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ka.'su.la/ ou /ka.θu.la/ versus /ˈka.psu.lɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "caçula" vs "cápsula" - which ranks higher?
"cápsula" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,245 in our Portuguese list, against #16,242 for "caçula". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "caçula" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cápsula" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #41,468 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "caçula" and "cápsula" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cabala vs caçula". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #41,468 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list