Which to use
“carreira” and “correia” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,137
- “carreira” frequency rank
- #8,313
- “correia” frequency rank
- 9450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | carreira | correia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | caminho estreito | tira de couro para atar |
Where the eye mixes carreira and correia
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. carreira runs 8 letters (CVCCVVCV) against correia's 7 (CVCCVVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses carreira with correia
A purely visual mix-up. carreira (/kɐ.ˈRɐj.ɾɐ/) and correia (/ku.ˈRɐj.ɐ/) 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 9450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
carreira is recorded at frequency rank #1,137, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɐ.ˈRɐj.ɾɐ/. correia is at rank #8,313, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ku.ˈRɐj.ɐ/.
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 9450, this pair ranks #63,979 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of carreira vs correia
Shared letters: aceir. Private to "carreira": -. Private to "correia": o.
"carreira" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "correia" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "carreira" and "correia" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "carreira" or "correia" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "carreira" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "correia" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #63,979 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "carreira" and "correia" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "carrera vs correia". 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 #63,979 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.