Which to use
“coçar” and “cozer” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,956
- “coçar” frequency rank
- #32,917
- “cozer” frequency rank
- 56873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coçar | cozer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | esfregar com as unhas, ou com outro objeto, qualquer parte do corpo onde se sente comichão | preparar (o alimento) ao fogo ou ao calor |
Where the eye mixes coçar and cozer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. coçar and cozer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses coçar with cozer
A purely visual mix-up. coçar (/ku.ˈsaɾ/) and cozer (/koˈze(ʁ)/) 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 56873, 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/. cozer is at rank #32,917, tagged as averb, pronounced /koˈze(ʁ)/.
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 56873, this pair ranks #9,681 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of coçar vs cozer
Shared letters: cor. Private to "coçar": aç. Private to "cozer": ez.
"coçar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "cozer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- cozer ← ccozer · coezr · cozerr · cozre · cozzer · czoer · oczer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coçar" for "cozer" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "coçar" or "cozer" show up more?
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 "coçar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cozer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #9,681 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coçar" and "cozer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "codex vs cozer". 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 #9,681 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.