comporvscompraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: compor is a verb, compra is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“compor” is a verb and “compra” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,020
“compor” frequency rank
#1,564
“compra” frequency rank
9584
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compor compra
Definition formar algo a partir de várias coisas ato ou efeito de comprar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compor and compra apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
compor
6 ch
compra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compor is /kõ.ˈpoɾ/ while compra is /ˈkõ.pɾɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9584, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compor is recorded at frequency rank #8,020, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.ˈpoɾ/. compra is at rank #1,564, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkõ.pɾɐ/.

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 9584, this pair ranks #63,792 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of compor vs compra

Shared letters: cmopr. Private to "compor": -. Private to "compra": a.

"compor" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "compra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comporccompor · cmopor · commpor · comopr · comporr · comppor · compro · copmor
  • compraccompra · cmopra · commpra · compar · comppra · comrpa · copmra · ocmpra

Frequency comparison

compor#8,020
compra#1,564

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compor" and "compra" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compor" is a verb and "compra" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "compor" or "compra"?
"compra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,564 in our Portuguese list, against #8,020 for "compor". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering compor vs compra

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “compor”; for a noun, it's “compra”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “compor” 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