caroçovscarrãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,999
“caroço” frequency rank
#30,869
“carrão” frequency rank
57868
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caroço carrão
Definition semente de um fruto andorinhão-real, (Tachymarptis melba)

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
caroço
6 ch
carrão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. caroço (/kɐ.'ɾo.su/) and carrão (singular: /ka.'raŋ/ ou /ka.'raw/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57868, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caroço is recorded at frequency rank #26,999, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.'ɾo.su/. carrão is at rank #30,869, tagged as anoun, pronounced singular: /ka.'raŋ/ ou /ka.'raw/.

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 57868, this pair ranks #9,081 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of caroço vs carrão

Shared letters: acor. Private to "caroço": ç. Private to "carrão": ã.

"caroço" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "carrão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Frequency comparison

caroço#26,999
carrão#30,869

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caroço" and "carrão" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kɐ.'ɾo.su/ versus singular: /ka.'raŋ/ ou /ka.'raw/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "caroço" or "carrão"?
"caroço" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,999 in our Portuguese list, against #30,869 for "carrão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering caroço vs carrão

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 “caroço” 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