clicarvscuidarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,855
“clicar” frequency rank
#1,705
“cuidar” frequency rank
12560
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature clicar cuidar
Definition gerar um clique (estalido) imaginar

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
clicar
6 ch
cuidar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. clicar (/kli.ˈkaɾ/) and cuidar (/kuj.ˈdaɾ/) 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 12560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

clicar is recorded at frequency rank #10,855, classified as averb, pronounced /kli.ˈkaɾ/. cuidar is at rank #1,705, tagged as averb, pronounced /kuj.ˈdaɾ/.

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 12560, this pair ranks #59,973 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of clicar vs cuidar

Shared letters: acir. Private to "clicar": l. Private to "cuidar": du.

"clicar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "cuidar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clicarcclicar · cilcar · clciar · cliacr · clicarr · cliccar · clicra · cllicar
  • cuidarccuidar · ciudar · cudiar · cuiadr · cuidarr · cuiddar · cuidra · ucidar

Frequency comparison

clicar#10,855
cuidar#1,705

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "clicar" and "cuidar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kli.ˈkaɾ/ versus /kuj.ˈdaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "clicar" or "cuidar"?
"cuidar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,705 in our Portuguese list, against #10,855 for "clicar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering clicar vs cuidar

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 “clicar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list