Which to use
“coçar” and “começar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,956
- “coçar” frequency rank
- #501
- “começar” frequency rank
- 24457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coçar | começar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | esfregar com as unhas, ou com outro objeto, qualquer parte do corpo onde se sente comichão | dar início a alguma coisa |
Where the eye mixes coçar and começar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. coçar runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against começar's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses coçar with começar
A purely visual mix-up. coçar (/ku.ˈsaɾ/) and começar (/ku.mɨ.ˈsaɾ/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coçar is recorded at frequency rank #23,956, classified as averb, pronounced /ku.ˈsaɾ/. começar is at rank #501, tagged as averb, pronounced /ku.mɨ.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 24457, this pair ranks #45,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of coçar vs começar
Shared letters: acorç. Private to "coçar": -. Private to "começar": em.
"coçar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "começar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coçar" for "começar" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "coçar" or "começar" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "coçar" and "começar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "coçar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "começar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coçar" and "começar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clonar vs coçar". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #45,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.