Which to use
“capitão” and “cartão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,768
- “capitão” frequency rank
- #1,769
- “cartão” frequency rank
- 3537
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | capitão | cartão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | chefe militar | papel forte |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set capitão and cartão apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. capitão (/kɐ.pi.ˈtɐ̃w̃/) and cartão (/kɐɾ.ˈtɐ̃w̃/) 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 3537, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
capitão is recorded at frequency rank #1,768, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.pi.ˈtɐ̃w̃/. cartão is at rank #1,769, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɐɾ.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 3537, this pair ranks #71,594 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of capitão vs cartão
Shared letters: acotã. Private to "capitão": ip. Private to "cartão": r.
"capitão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "cartão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "capitão" and "cartão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "capitão" or "cartão"?
Remembering capitão vs cartão
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 “capitão” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable