cansarvsconstarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,270
“cansar” frequency rank
#12,409
“constar” frequency rank
30679
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cansar constar
Definition causar cansaço; fatigar estar escrito, incluído ou mencionado

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cansar and constar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
cansar
7 ch
constar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cansar (/kɐ̃.ˈsaɾ) and constar (/kõʃ.ˈtaɾ/) 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 30679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cansar is recorded at frequency rank #18,270, classified as averb, pronounced /kɐ̃.ˈsaɾ. constar is at rank #12,409, tagged as averb, pronounced /kõʃ.ˈtaɾ/.

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 30679, this pair ranks #37,602 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cansar vs constar

Shared letters: acnrs. Private to "cansar": -. Private to "constar": ot.

"cansar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "constar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cansaracnsar · canasr · cannsar · cansarr · cansra · canssar · casnar · ccansar
  • constarcconstar · cnostar · connstar · consatr · consstar · constarr · constra · consttar

Frequency comparison

cansar#18,270
constar#12,409

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cansar" and "constar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kɐ̃.ˈsaɾ versus /kõʃ.ˈtaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cansar" or "constar"?
"constar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,409 in our Portuguese list, against #18,270 for "cansar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cansar vs constar

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 “cansar” 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