conjugarvscônjugeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#37,249
“conjugar” frequency rank
#21,130
“cônjuge” frequency rank
58379
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature conjugar cônjuge
Definition flexionar (um verbo) de acordo com algum de seus tempos, pessoas ou modos termo genérico para marido ou esposa

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
conjugar
7 ch
cônjuge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: conjugar is /kõ.ʒu.ˈɡaɾ/ while cônjuge is /ˈkõ.ʒu.ʒɨ/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58379, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

conjugar is recorded at frequency rank #37,249, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.ʒu.ˈɡaɾ/. cônjuge is at rank #21,130, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkõ.ʒu.ʒɨ/.

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 58379, this pair ranks #8,775 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of conjugar vs cônjuge

Shared letters: cgjnu. Private to "conjugar": aor. Private to "cônjuge": .

"conjugar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "cônjuge" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • conjugarcconjugar · cnojugar · cojnugar · conjguar · conjjugar · conjuagr · conjugarr · conjuggar

Frequency comparison

conjugar#37,249
cônjuge#21,130

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "conjugar" and "cônjuge" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "conjugar" is a verb and "cônjuge" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "conjugar" or "cônjuge"?
"cônjuge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,130 in our Portuguese list, against #37,249 for "conjugar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering conjugar vs cônjuge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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