contribuirvscontributoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#3,546
“contribuir” frequency rank
#19,386
“contributo” frequency rank
22932
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contribuir contributo
Definition cooperar, colaborar, ajudar contribuição

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contribuir and contributo apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
contribuir
10 ch
contributo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: contribuir is averb and contributoanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contribuir is recorded at frequency rank #3,546, classified as averb. contributo is at rank #19,386, 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 22932, this pair ranks #46,999 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contribuir vs contributo

Shared letters: bcinortu. Private to "contribuir": -. Private to "contributo": -.

"contribuir" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC  ·  "contributo" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contribuirccontribuir · cnotribuir · conntribuir · conrtibuir · contirbuir · contrbiuir · contribbuir · contribiur
  • contributoccontributo · cnotributo · conntributo · conrtibuto · contirbuto · contrbiuto · contribbuto · contribtuo

Frequency comparison

contribuir#3,546
contributo#19,386

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contribuir" and "contributo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "contribuir" is a verb and "contributo" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "contribuir" or "contributo"?
"contribuir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,546 in our Portuguese list, against #19,386 for "contributo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contribuir vs contributo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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