Which to use
“capão” and “capelão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,358
- “capão” frequency rank
- #25,222
- “capelão” frequency rank
- 44580
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | capão | capelão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | galo (ou cavalo) castrado para que não se reproduza e brigue com outros machos | padre encarregado de rezar missas em capelas e prestar assistência espiritual a regimentos militares, escolas, hospitais, etc |
Where the eye mixes capão and capelão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. capão runs 5 letters (CVCVV) against capelão's 7 (CVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: capão vs capelão
A purely visual mix-up. capão (/kɐ.ˈpɐ̃w̃/) and capelão (/kɐ.pɨ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/) 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 44580, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
capão is recorded at frequency rank #19,358, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈpɐ̃w̃/. capelão is at rank #25,222, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.pɨ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/.
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 44580, this pair ranks #20,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of capão vs capelão
Shared letters: acopã. Private to "capão": -. Private to "capelão": el.
"capão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "capelão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "capão" and "capelão" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "capão" or "capelão" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "capão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "capelão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #20,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "capão" and "capelão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "capelão vs capeta". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #20,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.