Which to use
“comprar” and “cumprir” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #642
- “comprar” frequency rank
- #2,770
- “cumprir” frequency rank
- 3412
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | comprar | cumprir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | obter algo em troca de dinheiro | levar a efeito, executar, satisfazer |
Where the eye mixes comprar and cumprir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between comprar and cumprir
A purely visual mix-up. comprar (/kõ.ˈpɾaχ/) and cumprir (/kũ.ˈpɾiɾ/) 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 3412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
comprar is recorded at frequency rank #642, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.ˈpɾaχ/. cumprir is at rank #2,770, tagged as averb, pronounced /kũ.ˈpɾiɾ/.
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 3412, this pair ranks #71,745 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of comprar vs cumprir
Shared letters: cmpr. Private to "comprar": ao. Private to "cumprir": iu.
"comprar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "cumprir" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "comprar" and "cumprir" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "comprar" vs "cumprir" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "comprar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cumprir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,745 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "comprar" and "cumprir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compilar vs comprar". 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 #71,745 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.