Which to use
“caule” and “couve” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,921
- “caule” frequency rank
- #19,671
- “couve” frequency rank
- 55592
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caule | couve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a parte aérea do eixo principal das plantas superiores, ligada à raiz, e da qual se desenvolvem os ramos e as folhas | planta hortense da família das crucíferas cujo nome científico é Brassica oleracea |
Where the eye mixes caule and couve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between caule and couve
A purely visual mix-up. caule (/ˈkaw.lɨ/) and couve (/ˈkow.vɨ/) 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 55592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caule is recorded at frequency rank #35,921, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkaw.lɨ/. couve is at rank #19,671, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkow.vɨ/.
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 55592, this pair ranks #10,503 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of caule vs couve
Shared letters: ceu. Private to "caule": al. Private to "couve": ov.
"caule" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "couve" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "caule" for "couve" ever safe?
Frequency check: "caule" vs "couve" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "caule" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "couve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #10,503 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caule" and "couve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cárie vs caule". 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 #10,503 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.