cadeiavsceiaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,838
“cadeia” frequency rank
#14,796
“ceia” frequency rank
16634
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cadeia ceia
Definition local que serve de detenção temporária para criminosos de baixa periculosidade a última refeição do dia

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
cadeia
4 ch
ceia

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cadeia (/kɐ.ˈdɐj.ɐ/) and ceia (/ˈsɐj.ɐ/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16634, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cadeia is recorded at frequency rank #1,838, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈdɐj.ɐ/. ceia is at rank #14,796, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɐj.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 16634, this pair ranks #54,856 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cadeia vs ceia

Shared letters: acei. Private to "cadeia": d. Private to "ceia": -.

"cadeia" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVV  ·  "ceia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cadeiaacdeia · caddeia · cadeai · cadiea · caedia · ccadeia · cdaeia
  • ceiacceia · ceai · ciea · ecia

Frequency comparison

cadeia#1,838
ceia#14,796

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cadeia" and "ceia" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kɐ.ˈdɐj.ɐ/ versus /ˈsɐj.ɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cadeia" or "ceia"?
"cadeia" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,838 in our Portuguese list, against #14,796 for "ceia". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cadeia vs ceia

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 “cadeia” 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