Which to use
“cavar” and “clamar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,601
- “cavar” frequency rank
- #39,058
- “clamar” frequency rank
- 62659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cavar | clamar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | abrir ou revolver a terra com enxada ou sacho; escavar; sachar | soltar vozes altas |
Where the eye mixes cavar and clamar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. cavar runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against clamar's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses cavar with clamar
A purely visual mix-up. cavar (/kɐ.ˈvaɾ/) and clamar (/klɐ.ˈmaɾ/) 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 62659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cavar is recorded at frequency rank #23,601, classified as averb, pronounced /kɐ.ˈvaɾ/. clamar is at rank #39,058, tagged as averb, pronounced /klɐ.ˈmaɾ/.
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 62659, this pair ranks #6,553 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cavar vs clamar
Shared letters: acr. Private to "cavar": v. Private to "clamar": lm.
"cavar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "clamar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cavar" for "clamar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cavar" or "clamar"?
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 "cavar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clamar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #6,553 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cavar" and "clamar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clamar vs clonar". 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 #6,553 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.