Which to use
“causar” and “cessar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,619
- “causar” frequency rank
- #8,729
- “cessar” frequency rank
- 11348
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | causar | cessar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fazer acontecer, ser causa de | interromper, não continuar |
Where the eye mixes causar and cessar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: causar vs cessar
A purely visual mix-up. causar (/kaw.ˈzaɾ/) and cessar (/sɨ.ˈsaɾ/) 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 11348, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
causar is recorded at frequency rank #2,619, classified as averb, pronounced /kaw.ˈzaɾ/. cessar is at rank #8,729, tagged as averb, pronounced /sɨ.ˈsaɾ/.
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 11348, this pair ranks #61,515 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of causar vs cessar
Shared letters: acrs. Private to "causar": u. Private to "cessar": e.
"causar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "cessar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "causar" and "cessar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "causar" or "cessar"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "causar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cessar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,515 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "causar" and "cessar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caudal vs causar". 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 #61,515 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.