Which to use
“cápsula” and “cúpula” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,245
- “cápsula” frequency rank
- #6,633
- “cúpula” frequency rank
- 17878
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cápsula | cúpula |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | um fruto seco composto por mais de um carpelo | a parte côncava de um zimbório |
Where the eye mixes cápsula and cúpula
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cápsula runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against cúpula's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between cápsula and cúpula
A purely visual mix-up. cápsula (/ˈka.psu.lɐ/) and cúpula (/ˈku.pu.lɐ/) 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 17878, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cápsula is recorded at frequency rank #11,245, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈka.psu.lɐ/. cúpula is at rank #6,633, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈku.pu.lɐ/.
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 17878, this pair ranks #53,255 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cápsula vs cúpula
Shared letters: aclpu. Private to "cápsula": sá. Private to "cúpula": ú.
"cápsula" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "cúpula" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cápsula" and "cúpula" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "cápsula" or "cúpula" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cápsula" and "cúpula" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cápsula" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cúpula" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,255 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cápsula" and "cúpula" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cápsula vs casulo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #53,255 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.