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 eye mixes capataz and capitão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. capataz (CVCVCVC) and capitão (CVCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: capataz vs capitão
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
- capataz ← acpataz · caaptaz · capaatz · capatazz · capattaz · capatza · cappataz · captaaz
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "capataz" for "capitão" ever safe?
Frequency check: "capataz" vs "capitão" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "capataz" and "capitão" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "capataz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "capitão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,581 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "capataz" and "capitão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "capataz vs capeta". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #23,581 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.