Which to use
“contenção” and “convenção” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,239
- “contenção” frequency rank
- #3,318
- “convenção” frequency rank
- 14557
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contenção | convenção |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de conter, de controlar ou de reprimir | assembleia formal de representantes ou delegados para discutir sobre assuntos predeterminados |
Letter map: contenção vs convenção
Shared letters muted; letters that set contenção and convenção apart highlighted. Shared run: 8. contenção and convenção follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Pair insight - contenção / convenção
contenção and convenção are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - t in “contenção” becomes v in “convenção”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contenção is recorded at frequency rank #11,239, classified as anoun, pronounced /kõ.tẽ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. convenção is at rank #3,318, tagged as anoun.
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 14557, this pair ranks #57,487 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contenção vs convenção
Shared letters: cenoãç. Private to "contenção": t. Private to "convenção": v.
"contenção" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV · "convenção" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "contenção" and "convenção" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "contenção" or "convenção" show up more?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "contenção" and "convenção".
- Full dictionary entry for "contenção" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "convenção" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #57,487 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contenção" and "convenção" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contenção vs contenda". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #57,487 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.