compreensãovscompreensivoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: compreensão is a noun, compreensivo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“compreensão” is a noun and “compreensivo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,137
“compreensão” frequency rank
#27,413
“compreensivo” frequency rank
31550
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compreensão compreensivo
Definition ação de compreender que compreende

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compreensão and compreensivo apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
compreensão
12 ch
compreensivo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compreensão is /kõ.pɾjẽ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ while compreensivo is /kõ.pɾjẽ.ˈsi.vu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compreensão is recorded at frequency rank #4,137, classified as anoun, pronounced /kõ.pɾjẽ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. compreensivo is at rank #27,413, tagged as anadj, pronounced /kõ.pɾjẽ.ˈsi.vu/.

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 31550, this pair ranks #36,488 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compreensão vs compreensivo

Shared letters: cemnoprs. Private to "compreensão": ã. Private to "compreensivo": iv.

"compreensão" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCVV  ·  "compreensivo" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compreensivoccompreensivo · cmopreensivo · commpreensivo · comperensivo · comppreensivo · compreenisvo · compreennsivo · compreensiov

Frequency comparison

compreensão#4,137
compreensivo#27,413

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compreensão" and "compreensivo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compreensão" is a noun and "compreensivo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "compreensão" or "compreensivo"?
"compreensão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,137 in our Portuguese list, against #27,413 for "compreensivo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering compreensão vs compreensivo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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