capatazvscapitãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,462
“capataz” frequency rank
#1,768
“capitão” frequency rank
42230
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature capataz capitão
Definition feitor chefe militar

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
capataz
7 ch
capitão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. capataz (/kɐ.pɐ.ˈtaʃ/) and capitão (/kɐ.pi.ˈtɐ̃w̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42230, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

capataz is recorded at frequency rank #40,462, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.pɐ.ˈtaʃ/. capitão is at rank #1,768, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.pi.ˈtɐ̃w̃/.

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 42230, this pair ranks #23,581 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of capataz vs capitão

Shared letters: acpt. Private to "capataz": z. Private to "capitão": ioã.

"capataz" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "capitão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • capatazacpataz · caaptaz · capaatz · capatazz · capattaz · capatza · cappataz · captaaz

Frequency comparison

capataz#40,462
capitão#1,768

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "capataz" and "capitão" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kɐ.pɐ.ˈtaʃ/ versus /kɐ.pi.ˈtɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "capataz" or "capitão"?
"capitão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,768 in our Portuguese list, against #40,462 for "capataz". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering capataz vs capitão

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 “capataz” 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