Which to use
“comparsa” and “compasso” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,485
- “comparsa” frequency rank
- #22,257
- “compasso” frequency rank
- 62742
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | comparsa | compasso |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | cúmplice, parceiro | instrumento composto de duas hastes articuladas para traçar circunferências, arcos de círculo e tomar medidas |
Where the eye mixes comparsa and compasso
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: comparsa vs compasso
A purely visual mix-up. comparsa (/kõ.ˈpaɾ.sɐ/) and compasso (/kõ.ˈpa.su/) 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 62742, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
comparsa is recorded at frequency rank #40,485, classified as anoun, pronounced /kõ.ˈpaɾ.sɐ/. compasso is at rank #22,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kõ.ˈpa.su/.
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 62742, this pair ranks #6,514 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of comparsa vs compasso
Shared letters: acmops. Private to "comparsa": r. Private to "compasso": -.
"comparsa" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "compasso" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "comparsa" for "compasso" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "comparsa" or "compasso" 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 "comparsa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compasso" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #6,514 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "comparsa" and "compasso" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compare vs comparsa". 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 #6,514 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.